Ammonias Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Ammonias (reef). I’ve got to be straight with you – this outlook is a tough one. The whole 16-day window is a bit of a grind, with no real standout sessions to get excited about. The winds are nearly always working against us, and the clean conditions we surfers live for are just not showing up.

Right from the start, Tuesday the 18th to Thursday the 21st, we’re looking at tiny waves around 1 ft to 2 ft. The swell is coming from the S or SSW, which is about right, but the wind is a messy cross or cross-on from the ENE, keeping things choppy and blown out. The water temp is sitting at 80°, which is about normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a thick wetsuit. The combined energy is in the moderate bracket (around 304 to 429), but honestly, with the onshore crud, it’s not worth paddling out for.

We hit a bit of a lull from Friday the 22nd through Monday the 25th. The swell gets a little bigger, up to 6 ft to 7 ft on Sunday the 23rd, but it’s short period windswell from the E at only 7 seconds, and the winds are still cross-shore or cross-on. The energy picks up through the moderate range (526 to 910), but the surf quality is rated as poor or marginal. This is a reef break, so the short period, weak swell isn’t going to wrap in nicely.

Then from Tuesday the 26th of August into the first week of September, the swell size actually gets more interesting. We see heights from 4 ft up to 10 ft, with some solid groundswell periods around 11 to 12 seconds from the SSW and SSE. The energy numbers get strong, climbing into the four-digit range (1060 to 2733), meaning there’s plenty of water moving. But – and it’s a big but – the wind is almost always a cross or cross-on from the ENE or E. This is a reef break, and with that kind of cross-onshore breeze, it’s going to be choppy and fat. On Sunday the 30th of August, we’ve got 10 ft from the E at 8 seconds, which is a big, messy, short-period windswell. That’s expert territory for size, but with the wind on it, it’s more of a washing machine than a wave. The energy is very strong at 2055, but it’s not the kind of power you want for a clean ride.

To be honest, looking at this whole stretch, there isn’t a single day I’d call a standout. The best of a bad bunch might be the morning of Friday the 21st of August, when we have a brief pocket of light offshore wind from the SE for that 2 ft, 17-second SSW groundswell. The energy is moderate (360), and the conditions are described as "unknown" which, in this context, is still better than the constant chop. But that’s a pretty thin silver lining. The rest of the time, the setup is so poor that if you’re after a paddle, you’re better off waiting for the forecast to change. This reef is exposed, and with these persistent cross-onshore winds, it’s honestly looking more like a kite-surfing setup than a surf break for the majority of the period.

Sorry, folks, but it’s a blank run for the next couple of weeks. Keep your boards waxed and hope the wind gods change their tune.

Rusty.

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