Alnes Lighthouse Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s cooking at Alnes Lighthouse over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it’s a tough stretch. We’ve got a long run of poor surf ahead, with only a few moments that might be worth a paddle. The good news is that when it does get going, the spot itself has some potential as a fairly exposed point break that likes a north-west swell, so we just need the stars to align.

Things start off pretty grim. Wednesday the 19th through to Sunday the 23rd is all poor surf conditions – cross and onshore winds, short-period windswell of 3ft to 8ft, and the wave energy is weak to moderate (258 to 708). Friday the 21st sees the biggest swell of this early period at 7ft to 8ft from the NNW, but it’s raining, the wind is messy, and the wave period is a short 8 seconds. That’s a no-go. The water temp is 55°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year.

There’s a small window on Monday the 24th. The swell picks up to 6ft to 7ft from the west, with a moderate combined energy (466 to 638). But the wind is cross-shore from the WSW at 12-16 mph, creating a cross-chop. It’s still rated as poor surf conditions, so it’s not the standout we’re looking for.

The best chance in this entire outlook lands on Wednesday the 26th of August. It’s a morning session. The swell drops to a clean 3ft from the west, with a nice 10-second period that will give the waves some shape. The wind goes glassy – dead calm from the north at 3 mph. That’s the kind of morning you set an alarm for. The water will be glassy, and while the energy is only moderate (246), the conditions will make it surfable. It’s not big, but it’ll be clean. The break is a point, so that longer-period west swell (10 seconds) should wrap in nicely. Keep an eye on the crowds though – Alnes Lighthouse can get crowded sometimes, so get there early.

After that, it’s back to the doldrums. From the 27th of August right through to the 3rd of September, we’re looking at tiny waves (0.7ft to 3ft) with very low energy (11 to 136). There are a couple of glassy moments, like the afternoon of the 27th and the morning of the 3rd of September, but with swell that small, it’s barely a ripple. Even a 16-second groundswell on the 30th only delivers 1ft – all that power, nowhere to go.

So, to wrap it up: the whole 16-day forecast is mostly a write-off, with a single bright spot on the morning of Wednesday the 26th of August. That’s your one to chase. It won’t be big, but it’ll be clean and lined up. Otherwise, keep the board in the car and wait for a better forecast.

Rusty.

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