Apollo Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s comin’ for Apollo Bay over the next couple of weeks.

The first real chance for a wave kicks off on Friday the 14th of August. It’s not a total washout, but don’t get your hopes up too high. You’ve got a solid 8 ft SW groundswell with a long 15-second period, and the combined energy is strong at 3204 – that’s a lot of power. But the wind is a cross-off from the WSW at 9 mph, and the call is “marginal.” This one’s really for experienced surfers if you gotta get wet; the swell size is pushing into expert-only territory. Water temp sits at 57°, which is about average for this time of year, so you won’t need a steamer but a spring suit will be welcome.

Now, if you can hold out ’til Saturday the 15th of August, that’s where it gets real interesting. Saturday morning sees a glassy, dead-calm sea with zero wind and some clouds. The swell drops a touch to 8 ft from the SW, still a long-period groundswell at 15 seconds, and combined energy is 2478. For Apollo Bay, a point-and-beach setup, that long period means the point is your best bet to avoid it closing out straight. This is the standout session – clean, powerful, and for experienced paddlers. Saturday afternoon stays clean at 7 ft with a light cross-off, but it’s the morning glass that’s the gold.

Sunday the 16th drops right off to a small 4 ft SW swell, period drops to 14 seconds, but the wind turns onshore from the ESE, killing any real quality. The combined energy is weak at 908. Not worth rushing for. Monday and Tuesday the 17th and 18th are messy – onshore winds and chop with swell around 3 to 4 ft, and energy down in the low hundreds to about 1000. A write-off.

We’ve then got a stretch of days from Wednesday the 19th through to Friday the 21st where the swell is tiny (2 ft to 3 ft) and winds are all over the shop. Combined energy drops below 400 – that’s weak. Not worth paddling out unless you’re just floating around.

Saturday the 22nd of August sees a jump back up to 7 ft, but it’s a short-period 9-second swell, which means it’ll be fat and messy, and combined energy at 1815 is moderate but the wind’s cross-off and fresh at 19 mph. It’s a “marginal” call. Better suited to a kite than a paddle.

Now, Sunday the 23rd of August: This one’s a gem. Morning brings a clean 6 ft SW groundswell (14-second period) with a light offshore breeze from the W at 6 mph. Combined energy is 1548. “Excellent” is the call for experienced surfers. Clean, lined-up, and not too crowded likely at this time of year.

But if you can wait, the absolute standout is Monday the 24th of August. This is proper. A big 12 ft SSW groundswell, with a 16 to 17-second period – very long and powerful. Combined energy reads a massive 6308, which is strong to very strong. The wind goes glassy – calm – for both the morning and afternoon. This is a serious, expert-only day. Too big for anyone but the experienced crew hitting that point. The water won’t change much from average temps.

After that, Tuesday the 25th drops to 6 ft but with a crosswind, and the rest of the week fades into small, choppy, or cross-shore junk. There is a brief blip on Thursday the 27th of August with clean offshore WSW wind and 4 ft swell, but nothing close to that 24th.

Best in the window: Without question, the morning of Saturday the 15th for clean, powerful waves, and Monday the 24th for the big, glassy, expert-only groundswell. The 24th is the real standout – just hope the long-period swell doesn’t make the beach close out; stick to the Apollo Bay point for the good ones.

Rusty.

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