Alnes Lighthouse Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what the next couple of weeks have in store for us at Alnes Lighthouse. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, so let's get into it.

The overall pattern is pretty tricky. We’ve got some good energy pushing in early on, but the wind is going to be a constant battle for the most part. The opening stretch is a write-off, with onshore and cross-shore winds messing up the swell. The standout window is looking like Sunday the 9th, but even that has a catch. After that, things get pretty small and choppy for a long stretch, with a potential little blip of glassy conditions much later on.

The first real pulse of surf arrives on the morning of Sunday the 9th. We’re looking at a 6ft swell from the WSW with a 9-second period. The combined energy is a solid 613, so there’s some proper power behind it. More importantly, we've got a light offshore SSE breeze making things clean. This is the best of the bunch, no doubt. Alnes Lighthouse is a point break, and this longer-period swell should wrap in nicely. It’s a bit much for beginners at 6ft, but for the intermediate crew, this is the morning to be out there. The crowd factor is a possibility, but the clean conditions should be worth it. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing crazy there.

The rest of that Sunday is a letdown. The afternoon sees the wind swing to a cross-shore SW at 25 km/h, and the quality just drops out. The surf is still there, but it’s messy.

Monday the 10th and Tuesday the 11th are looking poor. The wind stays messy, and the swell drops and gets jumbled. Tuesday morning is particularly weak, with a 4ft swell from the N and a cross-shore wind. Not worth getting wet for.

Then we get a little glimmer on Wednesday morning the 12th. The wind goes completely glassy, with a 4ft swell from the NNW. It’s only 7 seconds, so it’s not going to have much push, and the energy is weak at 150. The report says it’s ordinary, and I’d agree. It’s surfable, but pretty average. The afternoon goes small and cross-shore again.

The rest of that week into the weekend is a story of poor conditions. The wind is all over the place, and the swell stays mediocre. There’s a bit of size on Thursday afternoon the 13th, but it's accompanied by a 25 km/h cross-shore wind, making it a messy proposition. The following week, from Monday the 17th right through to Friday the 21st, is a write-off. The swell is small, the wind is onshore or cross-shore, and the combined energy is weak. This is a proper flat spell we have to sit through.

There is one final, faint light at the end of the tunnel. On Saturday the 22nd, the wind goes glassy again in the morning. We get a 4ft swell from the NW, but the period is a weak 7 seconds and the energy is a lowly 157. It’s surfable, but again, very ordinary. Sunday the 23rd looks similar, with a clean 5ft swell from the N, but the period drops to a junky 6 seconds. It’s a long period of waiting for very little. If you’re desperate, those last two mornings are the only times you’ll get a clean surface, but don’t expect much.

Rusty, signing off.

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