Ammonias Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, ready to look at what’s cooking for Ammonias over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this forecast is a bit of a grind. We’re looking at a patchy run with a lot of middling conditions and consistent cross-shore wind from the ENE that’ll keep things a little scrappy. The water temp is sitting around 81°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises in the warmth.

Let’s kick it off from Monday, the 24th of August. We’ve got some swell in the water, about 6 ft from the ENE with a short, punchy 7-second period. The combined energy is moderate (604). But that ENE wind is blowing at 16 mph from the same direction, making it a lumpy cross-shore mess. It’s marginal at best, really just blown out and messy. This sets the tone for most of the first week – the swell sticks around from the east, with heights between 5 ft and 6 ft, but that constant 16 mph ENE wind just won’t let up. The cross-chop will have you battling for any clean face. Wednesday the 26th afternoon sees a brief switch to a 3 ft S swell with a long 18-second period (energy still moderate at 757), but the wind stays cross, so don’t get your hopes up.

The real glimmer in this forecast is down the track, and I mean *way* down the track. We’re talking Monday, the 1st of September. That morning, we see a jump to a solid 7 ft from the ENE, with a slightly longer 9-second period, and the combined energy kicks up into strong territory (1163). The wind is still cross at 16 mph, so it won't be perfectly glassy, but that's a heap more energy to work with. This is the standout push of the whole outlook if you want some size and power.

Then, hold onto your board shorts for Saturday, the 5th of September. The afternoon session shows a 6 ft easterly swell with a nice 13-second period, and the energy tracker blows up to a very strong 1371. This is the best looking wave window. The wind is still cross from the NE at 16 mph, which isn't ideal, but that groundswell energy is serious. It'll want to break a bit straight at a beach break, but for a reef like Ammonias, the long-period swell should wrap in nicely and offer some proper shape. If you can only pick one window in this whole 16-day run, that Saturday afternoon is where the magic might just happen.

Before that, there’s a run from Tuesday, the 2nd, through Friday, the 5th, where we bounce between fairly average 3-5 ft stuff. Nothing really clean.

Heading into the second week, things cool off energy-wise, with lots of smaller, longer-period S swells and light winds, but that usually means the surf is inconsistent and hard to catch. The 8th of September morning shows another pulse of 6 ft from the ENE (8 seconds) with offshore SE wind at 6 mph – that’s a rare window with clean conditions and decent size for those who like it a bit more manageable.

So yeah, the short-term is a write-off with that wind. The best bets are the 1st of September for strong, powerful, but messy waves, and the 5th of September afternoon for the real quality groundswell. Don't sleep on that. It's a waiting game, but there's light at the end of the tunnel.

Rusty.

Read more