Alnes Lighthouse Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for most of the period, but there is one bright spot if you’re willing to wait.

For the first several days, the story is pretty much the same: a lot of wind and messy conditions. The swell is around, but the wind is killing it. The first real chance of anything surfable is on the morning of the 29th, but it’s only a small 3ft NNW swell with a short period of 8 seconds. The wind is light and cross-off, so it’ll be clean, but the energy is weak (208). It’s more of a longboard or a funboard session, not something to get too excited about.

Things stay rough for a while after that. The wind is a problem. There’s a bit of a bump on the 1st of August with a 8ft to 8ft WSW swell, and the wind is cross-off, so it’s clean. But the wave quality is still listed as marginal, and the energy is moderate (591 to 750). It’s a possible option, but not a standout.

The real standout, and the only one I’d really call a highlight, comes on the 4th of August. The morning has a 5ft swell from the NNW with a 9-second period. The wind is light and onshore, but the energy is moderate (387). The real kicker is that this is a point break, and the swell direction is from the NNW, which is pretty close to the optimum direction of NW. The period is decent, and for a point break, a longer period swell like this can mean good shape and longer waits between sets. The water temp is 56°, which is about normal for this time of year here. It’s the best on offer, but it’s still only a marginal call, so don’t expect perfection.

After that, the surf drops off hard. By the 6th of August, we’re down to 2ft waves, and it just gets smaller. There’s a tiny bit of energy on the 8th of August, but the wind is fresh and cross-shore, so it’s lumpy. The 11th of August looks glassy in the morning, but the swell is only 1ft, so it’s hardly worth paddling out for.

So, to sum it up: the first week is full of wind and poor conditions. The week of the 4th of August gives you a small window of surfable, but not great, waves. The second week is mostly flat or close to it. There’s nothing for beginners here, as the few good swells are over 5ft, but not so big they’re dangerous. The crowd factor at Alnes Lighthouse is listed as “sometimes,” so you might have company, but it’s not a zoo.

Rusty.

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