Airports Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s look at what’s coming up for Airports over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, the first few days are a bit of a mixed bag. Sunday has some cross-onshore wind and a bit of chop, with a 5ft swell from the SSE at a short 10-second period – it’s not doing much. The wave energy is moderate though, sitting around (836). Honestly, it’s not worth paddling out for.

Things start to pick up Monday afternoon with a shift to onshore wind from the SW at just 3 mph and a 5ft SSE swell moving through a 10-second period. The energy is still decent (987), but the conditions are only marginal. The real standout comes Tuesday morning. We’ve got a clean 5ft SSE swell, 11-second period, and glassy conditions with a WSW breeze at 3 mph. The wave energy is solid (839), and this is the best window in the early part of the forecast – clean, lined-up surf for the intermediate surfer. Tuesday afternoon gets a bit iffy again.

Wednesday sees a bump in size to 5ft, but the cross-onshore wind keeps it messy. Thursday morning looks like another good one – glassy again, 5ft SSE swell with a 10-second period and moderate energy (657). That’s your second clear window early on.

Then from Friday through Sunday, the wind swings more onshore and cross-onshore, and the wave quality drops. The swell sticks around but the conditions are poor, with energy falling away to 300–400 range by Sunday.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Early the following week, around Monday 11 August, a much bigger pulse arrives. The swell height jumps to 5ft to 6ft, from the SSW with a very long 19–20 second period. That’s proper groundswell, carrying a lot of energy (up to 2834). But there’s a catch: the wind is cross-onshore from the S and SSW at 9 mph, so it’s going to be a bit lumpy. This setup is right on the edge for intermediate surfers – anything over 5ft at this break and the reef can get testing. Tuesday 12 August keeps the 7ft SSW swell with a 17–18 second period, energy around 2841, still cross-onshore. The long period means the waves will have serious push and longer lulls, but the cross-breeze is going to mess with the face. It’s powerful but not classic.

Wednesday the 13th through Friday the 15th sees the swell drop back to 5ft to 5ft, still from the SSW with a long period (15–16 seconds), and the wind backs off a little to cross-onshore. The energy is still high (1680–1366). The wave quality improves slightly, but it’s still not clean. By Saturday the 16th, the swell fades to under 3ft and the wind blows onshore, so it’s a poor end to the window.

Overall, the pick of the fortnight is Tuesday morning, 10 August – glassy, 5ft, clean lines. That’s the one to aim for. The big SSW pulse from the 11th to 12th has serious size and energy but the wind is working against it. If you’re an experienced surfer, that’s your challenge window. Beginners should sit those days out.

Airports is a reef break, well-exposed to the SW swell direction, and it’s fairly consistent. With the SSE swell directions and short periods early on, the reef will handle it okay. The water temperature is about average for this time of year.

This is Rusty, signing off.

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