Ammonias Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty, and I've got the latest on the surf for our local patch. Let's be straight with you – the outlook for the next 16 days is a bit of a struggle. We start with a long gap of nothing but poor or marginal conditions, so don't be in a rush to paddle out.

The first real chance of a wave comes on the morning of Wednesday, 27th August, at Ammonias. This is a reef break, fairly consistent but can get crowded, so you'll be sharing the peak. The water temperature is sitting at 81°F, which is about normal for this time of year. Swell is coming from the S at 4 ft, with a period of 17 seconds – that's a long-period groundswell, which stacks up nicely at a reef. The combined energy is moderate at 949. The wind is cross from the NE at 25 km/h (or 16 mph), which isn't perfect, but it's manageable. It's a marginal set-up, and honestly, this is the best we've got to look at. The following days are all similar – cross winds and marginal surf. Not a standout.

We hit a worse patch from Saturday, 29th August, right through to Tuesday, 3rd September. The swell picks up to 6 ft, but it's short-period windswell from the ENE with only 7 to 9 seconds between waves, and the wind is mostly cross-onshore or cross. The energy is moderate, around 600-970, but the quality is poor. It's a messy, choppy mess. For a beach-and-reef set-up like this, it looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Things calm down again from Thursday, 3rd September, with smaller S swell in the 3 ft to 3 ft range, but the wind remains cross or cross-onshore. The energy is moderate (around 470-940), but the conditions are still just marginal at best. The period improves to 13-17 seconds, but the wind just won't let it clean up.

There's a faint glimmer on the morning of Sunday, 6th September, with a 3 ft SSW swell and a 16-second period – proper groundswell. The energy is a solid 741 in the morning, and the wind is a lighter 15 km/h (9 mph) from the E, but it's still cross-onshore. It's a step up from the rest, but still only marginal. The last few days trickle out with tiny, weak swell and poor conditions.

So, for the dedicated few, the best window is the morning of Wednesday, 27th August, and maybe the 6th September, but keep your expectations in check. The rest of the 16 days is a write-off.

Rusty

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