Airports Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s cooking at Airports. The next week and a half has a bit of a lazy start, but there are some real gems hiding in the second half if you’re patient.

We kick off with a pretty ordinary run from Tuesday, August 11th right through the weekend of the 16th. The swell is hovering around 3ft to 5ft from the SSE, but the wind is all over the place – onshore, cross-onshore, even some heavy rain and thunderstorms in the mix. Wave energy is weak to moderate (around 374 to 909), and the conditions are consistently described as marginal or poor. Honestly, not worth paddling out for unless you’re desperate to get wet.

Then things get interesting. Monday, August 17th, the swell starts to build. By morning we’ve got 5ft from the SSW with a very long period of 21 seconds, and energy is already strong at 2246. The wind is light cross-onshore, so it’s a bit lumpy, but you can feel the ocean waking up. The afternoon pushes to 6ft at 20 seconds and energy hits 3010. This is a serious groundswell starting to fill in.

Now, here’s the standout window. Tuesday morning, August 18th is where you want to be. We’ve got 7ft of SSW groundswell with a period of 18 seconds, and the wind goes glassy – light from the SW, virtually dead. The water temperature is 85°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year. That combination of size, clean conditions, and that long-period energy pushing into a reef setup like Airports? That’s the one. The energy is very strong at 2673, and the description says “excellent surf for experienced surfers” – because at 7ft with that period, it’s got some punch. Not for beginners.

The quality holds into Wednesday morning, August 19th: 6ft from the SSW, 16-second period, and again glassy conditions with light easterly winds. Energy is still strong at 1507. Wednesday afternoon drops a touch to 5ft but stays glassy and clean – a really nice option for a session with a bit less grunt.

After that, the swell fades through the end of the week and into the following weekend. From Thursday, August 20th onward, the waves drop below 5ft, and the wind swings onshore again, so it’s back to marginal or poor conditions. There’s another pulse showing up around Sunday, August 23rd and Monday, August 24th with 4ft to 6ft of SSW groundswell, but the wind is straight onshore from the SW at 9 mph, so those won't have the same clean face as the mid-week magic. Keep an eye on those Monday morning numbers though – 6ft at 17 seconds with onshore wind might be worth a look if the wind backs off.

So, the clear winner: Tuesday, August 18th morning. Glassy, solid groundswell, classic reef setup at Airports. Wednesday the 19th is a close second with lighter crowds likely. The rest? A whole lot of waiting.

Rusty.

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