Apollo Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a solid run of surf coming up for Apollo Bay, but it’s a mixed bag—some real clean sessions and a couple of absolute monsters for the crew who know what they’re doing.

The pattern sets in from Friday 28 August with a decent SW groundswell. Friday morning sees 5ft of SW swell with a long 18-second period, and a light offshore W breeze at 9 mph. The water’s sitting at 57°, which is pretty much average for this time of year, no surprises there. The wave energy is strong (1525). This is proper groundswell with long gaps between sets, so paddling out won’t be a slog, but it’s pushing into experienced territory at that size. Apollo Bay is a beach and point setup, so that long period might break a bit straight on the beach, but the point should handle it well. Crowds are possible here, but not swarming. Friday afternoon holds similar size and quality, wind swapping to a cross-off SW breeze.

Saturday 29 August steps down a touch to 4ft SW, still clean with a WSW offshore breeze morning and afternoon. The energy drops to moderate (736), and while the waves are smaller, it’s still very good for a beginner-plus session—clean, consistent, and not too pushy.

Sunday 30 August sees the swell bump back up to 6ft in the morning and 6ft in the afternoon, with a 14-second period. The morning stays clean with gentle offshore wind, and wave energy is strong (1227). Afternoon has a cross-off breeze and some lumpy energy (1351), but it’s still clean.

Monday 31 August is a standout. Morning delivers 6ft of SW swell with a 15-second period, a 3 mph offshore W wind, and the energy is very strong (1702). It’s clean, excellent for experienced surfers, and the water’s glassy. But the real gem is Monday afternoon: glassy conditions, S wind at 3 mph, 6ft SW swell, and energy shooting up to 1889. That’s as clean as it gets—wind’s barely there, the swell is consistent, and the point will love that period. This is the best session of the first week, no question.

Tuesday 1 September gets a bit messier with cross-off NW winds picking up to 16 mph, but the swell holds around 5–6ft. Still clean enough for a go, but not the top pick.

Wednesday 2 September is another good one: morning has 6ft SW swell at 15 seconds, a light W offshore at 6 mph, and strong energy (1399). Clean, excellent, and the conditions are lined up for the experienced crew again. Afternoon stays offshore but windier.

Thursday 3 September has solid 6ft SW swell but cross-off NW winds, 12–19 mph, making it more marginal. The energy is strong (1531), but the wind’s a factor.

Now for the big news. Friday 4 September is the absolute standout of the entire forecast. Morning: 18ft of WSW swell, 14-second period, gentle offshore WNW wind at 9 mph. The energy is enormous (13510). This is exceptional for expert surfers only—too big for anyone else. Afternoon: 20ft of WSW swell, 15-second period, offshore W wind at 12 mph, and energy at 19610. This is huge, clean, and powerful. Apollo Bay’s point reef will handle this better than the beach. If you’re an expert, this is your day. If you’re not, stay on the sand.

The rest of the second week stays active. Saturday 5 September sees 10ft SW swell, but with cross-shore N winds and a moderate chop, it’s not the cleanest. Sunday 6 September has 8–13ft, with offshore winds on Sunday morning but fresh. Monday 7 September brings another massive pulse: 16–18ft of SW swell with cross-off WSW winds at 19–22 mph—raw power (16816), but messy and for experts only. Tuesday 8 September drops to 7ft with a shorter 12-second period, cleaner but smaller.

Wednesday 9 September offers a nice reset: 4–5ft SW swell, light winds, very good conditions. Energy is moderate (805).

Thursday 10 September is another strong day: 7ft SW swell with an 18-second period (!), light offshore W wind, and energy climbing to 2370. Excellent for experienced surfers, clean, and that long period will make for some beautiful lines at the point.

Friday 11 September is a write-off with onshore winds and messy waves. Saturday 12 September has a massive 20ft WSW swell with 16-second period and cross-off wind, but it’s flagged as too big for the break—absolute monster energy (22803), only for the most hardcore.

Overall, the standout is Monday 31 August for its perfect glassy conditions and clean, powerful swell. The second standout is Friday 4 September for the huge, offshore, expert-only surf. Both belong to Apollo Bay.

No other breaks to mention—this is the only game in town, and it’s a good one.

Rusty.

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