Alex Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s on offer for Alex over the next couple of weeks.

First thing to say – it’s a pretty tough stretch for the first week and a half, with a lot of choppy, messy conditions on the card. The water is sitting at a warm 79°, which is about normal for this time of year, so at least the rubber might stay in the car.

The first real chance to get a surf in comes on Friday morning, August 21st. We finally get a bit of a break in the wind with glassy conditions. The swell is small at 3 ft from the SE, with a short period of 8 seconds and combined energy of just 101 (weak). It’s surfable, but very ordinary. If you’re desperate for a paddle, it’s the best you’ll get for a while.

Saturday 22nd, Sunday 23rd, and then Thursday 27th and Friday 28th all offer clean windows in the mornings with light cross-offshore winds from the NNE. The waves stay small, around 2 ft to 4 ft, with short periods and low energy (51 to 189). It’s clean, but don’t expect any power. The break is a reef, fairly consistent, and it’s exposed to the S swell, which isn’t ideal for the small E stuff we’ve got. The optimum swell direction is from the S, so these waves are filling in at an awkward angle.

Honestly, there’s no standout session in this 16-day window. The closest thing to a highlight is the morning of Wednesday, August 26th. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the NE, the water is flat, and the wave height is 4 ft from the E, 7-second period, with combined energy of 184 (still weak). It’s clean, but that’s about it. This is a reef break that can be inconsistent, and with the swell direction not matching the optimum, it’s just tidy small waves.

For the rest of the period, it’s a lot of onshore wind, chop, and poor surf quality. The swell bumps up to 5 ft to 7 ft on Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th, but with strong cross-onshore winds and short periods, it’s just a lumpy, messy mess. The energy gets up to 669 (moderate) on the Monday afternoon, but with a 22 mph SE wind, it’s not worth a paddle. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

There’s a gap of several days with no real recommendation from the 14th through to the 20th, then a few clean but very small windows, then another gap of poor conditions. The second week has a couple of clean mornings, but nothing to get excited about.

So, bottom line: if you’re a beginner, the small clean days on the 26th or 27th might be okay, but the swell is tiny. For everyone else, keep your board in the bag and wait for a better forecast. Conditions can change, but right now, Alex is a quiet stretch.

Rusty.

Read more