Alnes Lighthouse Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This forecast covers the next few weeks, and to be honest, the start is a bit of a dud. We’ve got a fair stretch of small, messy, or just plain poor conditions on the cards before some proper swells show up.

First up, we’ve got Alnes Lighthouse (point break, fairly exposed) on Tuesday morning the 25th of August. It’s small at around 4 ft from the WNW with an 11-second period. The wind is a cross-shore NE at 9 mph, so not clean but not horrible. The combined energy is moderate at 337. Score is low though – it’s marginal. Water temp is about average for the time of year.

Wednesday the 26th morning offers a tiny bit of hope. The swell drops to 3 ft from the W (10 sec), but the wind drops right out and turns glassy. That’s a major positive for a clean, smooth surface. The energy is moderate (163). It’s surfable but very ordinary.

Then things go pretty quiet. From late Thursday the 27th right through to the morning of Wednesday the 2nd of September, we are looking at a proper dry spell. Most days have less than 2 ft with weak energy (often under 100), poor wind, or just bad conditions. A few glassy patches on the 28th and 29th, but not enough swell to do anything with. Saturday the 30th and Monday the 31st get a bit more size – up to 5 ft with moderate energy (370) – but the wind is messy, and the reports say poor.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The standout window opens on Thursday the 3rd of September. Morning brings a solid 6 ft swell from the N (10 sec) with a clean ENE cross-off breeze at 9 mph. Energy jumps to a strong 638. That’s proper. Conditions are clean. Then Thursday afternoon gets even better: still 6 ft from the N (10 sec) but the wind goes glassy. That’s your top pick in this whole forecast. Clean, decent size, good direction. It’s not huge, but it’s the best combo we see.

After that, the weekend of the 5th of September is a mixed bag. Saturday morning has 3 ft and glass, but it’s small. Saturday afternoon jumps to 6 ft from the SW but with a messy cross-on wind – looks more like a kite session than a paddle.

Sunday the 6th of September is for experts only. Swell pumps up to 11 – 13 ft from the WNW and NW with a 12-second period. That’s a very long period groundswell. Combined energy is massive at 3956. But the wind is a moderate cross-shore to cross-on, and the reports call it marginal and choppy. This is big, raw power and will be a handful. Point break might handle it, but it’s not for the faint-hearted.

Monday the 7th stays big at 10 ft from the NW, still cross-windy and lumpy. Tuesday the 8th backs off to 5 ft from the NNW, still messy. However, Tuesday afternoon sees a weird one: only 3 ft but with an 18-second period from the WNW – that’s a super long-period groundswell, but tiny. Energy is still strong at 1005 though. Very long period swells can offer beautiful, lined-up waves at points, but the size is marginal.

Then Wednesday the 9th of September closes the outlook with a nice surprise. Morning brings 7 ft from the W (8 sec) with a clean ENE cross-off breeze. Energy is strong at 907. The report says “expect very good surf conditions.” That’s another one to circle. Clean, solid size, good direction for the point.

So overall, the best bets are Thursday the 3rd of September – that afternoon glassy session is the standout – and Wednesday the 9th of September morning for clean, solid waves. The big days on the 6th and 7th are for the brave only.

Keep an eye on the tides for Alnes Lighthouse – it can be finicky. But when it’s on, it’s a gem.

Rusty.

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