Ammonias Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

The next 16 days at Ammonias are a bit of a grind – there’s a lot of cross and cross-onshore wind messing things up, and the swell is mostly short-period, wind-affected stuff. The water temperature is sitting around 80°, which is basically normal for this time of year, so nothing weird going on there.

The first time we see any glimmer of hope is on the morning of Sunday, 11 August. The swell is still pretty poor at 5 ft from the ENE, but the period is a weak 7 seconds, so it’s just wind swell. The wind is cross-on, and the energy is moderate (471). It’s not really worth getting excited about.

Things start to look a little more interesting from Wednesday, 14 August, through to Friday, 16 August. On Wednesday the 14th, we get a new pulse of S swell with a long period of 18 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, and the energy is strong (1013 on the morning, 1227 in the afternoon). But the direction is S, and the guidance says Ammonias prefers SSE swell, so it’s a bit off. The wind is cross, not clean. The waves are 3 ft to 4 ft – small, but with that long period, the shape could be fun if you look for a corner. It’s only marginal, but it’s the best we’ve got for a while.

Thursday the 15th morning is similar, with 5 ft S swell, period 16 seconds, and strong energy (1280). The wind is still cross from the NE at 16 mph. This is a stand-out option for the whole period – the swell is decent, the period is long, and the energy is solid. But the wind is the problem. If it backs off or goes a touch more offshore, it could clean up nicely. The swell is over 5 ft, so it’s getting a bit much for beginners, but fine for intermediates.

The standout for the whole 16 days comes on the morning of Thursday, 22 August. The swell is 10 ft from the ENE, with a period of 9 seconds. That’s strong energy (1961). But the wind is cross-on at 19 mph, and that’s too much chop for proper paddle surfing. With that size and wind, it’s more of a kite day. The swell is over 8 ft, so only for the experts. The period is short, so it’s not going to be clean.

After that, the swell drops off pretty quickly. By the end of the run, we’re back to small, messy south swells with no real quality.

So, the one true stand-out is the Thursday 15th through Friday 16th for that S groundswell – it’s the best combination of size, period, and energy, even with the cross wind. If you can find a corner that’s less affected, you’ll get a wave. The really big stuff on the 22nd is more of a windsurfing or kite show.

Rusty.

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