Apollo Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a solid run of South West groundswell lining up for Apollo Bay, but don’t get too excited just yet – there’s a bit of a wait, and some of the best size is going to be proper heavy, so know your limits.

The first solid push arrives on Tuesday the 8th of September with a 6ft south-west swell, period a healthy 17 seconds, and the water temp sitting at a typical 57°F. The wind is a stiff 25 km/h from the west-south-west, keeping things sideshore-offshore though, so while it’s clean and powerful, this is really for experienced surfers only. The combined wave energy is strong, sitting at 1915.

Wednesday the 9th gets serious. We’re looking at a big 12ft south-west groundswell with a 19-second period – that’s a long-period monster. Wave energy jumps to a massive 14904. The wind is 30 km/h from the south-south-west, cross-offshore, so it’s clean but beefy. This is only for those with plenty of time in the water; over 8ft is expert territory, and with that period, the sets will be powerful and lined up.

Thursday the 10th holds solid with a 10ft south-west swell, period 16 seconds, and 5471 in wave energy. The wind drops to a lighter 15 km/h from the same south-west direction, still cross-off and clean. Again, this is big and demanding – not a beginner’s day.

Friday the 11th is a good call for the more confident crew. Swell drops to a more manageable 7ft to 8ft, still south-west, period around 14 to 16 seconds. Wind is light from the south-south-west at 10 km/h, cross-off and clean. Wave energy is 1785 to 2796. This is solid but less intimidating, and the shape should be excellent.

The standout window looks like Saturday morning, the 12th of September. Swell sits at a very surfable 7ft, south-west, with a 15-second period. The wind is absolute glass – coming from the north-east at only 5 km/h, creating a glassy surface. Wave energy is 1785. This is the pick of the week: clean, powerful, and with that long-period swell, Apollo Bay’s point and beach setup will handle it beautifully. Crowds are possible, so get in early.

Sunday the 13th sees the swell fade to 5ft to 5ft, south-west, period 15 seconds, but wind picks up from the north-north-west at 15 to 20 km/h, cross-off. It’s clean but weaker.

There is a distinct gap from Monday the 14th through to Tuesday the 15th, with the swell dropping below 3ft and wind becoming fresh offshore or cross-shore – not worth a paddle.

From Wednesday the 16th, the swell rebuilds, with 7ft south-west (16-second period) and light wind from the south-west. Wave energy is 2241. This pattern of 6ft to 8ft swell continues through until Friday the 18th, but winds are variable and often cross or cross-off, so conditions are mixed.

The second week brings another big pulse. Saturday the 19th of September shows a 10ft south-west swell, period 14 seconds, wave energy 3813, with light north-north-west wind. Sunday the 20th has a clean 10ft west-south-west swell (12-second period) with a moderate offshore 25 km/h wind from the west-south-west. Then Monday the 21st is wild – 10ft to 12ft south-west, 19-second period, wave energy up to 9325, but wind is honking 35 to 40 km/h offshore from the west-south-west. That’s strong offshore – clean but a real battle to get out and hold position. For experts only.

All in all, the best mix of size, clean conditions, and good energy lands on Saturday morning, 12th September. The Saturday after that, 19th September, also looks promising but is further out, so treat that as a promising lead.

Stay safe out there.
Rusty.

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