Apollo Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Apollo Bay over the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, but there are two proper standouts that you need to have circled on the calendar.

The first real standout is this Saturday, 22 August. That morning is looking absolutely prime. We’re talking a solid 16ft swell thumping in from the WSW with a period of 14 seconds, and the wind is offshore, clean. The combined energy of all swells is a massive 13,476—that’s serious power. This is not for the faint-hearted; this is expert territory, so if you’re not comfortable in heavy, powerful surf, give it a miss. Saturday afternoon is nearly as good, with a 15ft swell from the SW and energy at 11,890. It’s going to be exceptional for those who can handle it.

The other standout is further out, on Friday, 4 September. That morning is showing a 10ft swell from the SW with a very long 16-second period, and light offshore breezes from the WNW. The combined energy hits 7,299—that’s strong wave energy. It’s shaping up as an excellent option for experienced surfers, but it’s over a week away, so keep an eye on it.

Now, let’s run through the rest. We kick off on Friday, 21 August, with 10ft surf from the WSW. It’s a solid size, with 12 mph offshore winds keeping it clean, but the water temperature is sitting at 57°, which is about average for the time of year. That’s still good for experienced surfers. Saturday takes the crown, as I mentioned. Then Sunday, 23 August, the size drops back to around 6ft to 7ft from the SW. Winds turn light and cross-off, so it’s clean, but the energy drops off to under 2,000. It’s a solid, fun size for the less extreme surfers. Monday, 24 August, and Tuesday, 25 August, see the swell shrink to 5ft, with clean conditions but weaker energy—around 700 to 900. It’s not a bust, but it’s not going to blow your mind. There’s a big gap from Wednesday, 26 August, through the rest of the week, with a few days of small, weak swell and some periods of onshore wind, dropping the quality.

We get another pulse on Wednesday, 26 August, with 10ft returning but the winds are cross-off, and the energy is moderate. The quality is marginal for the conditions. From Thursday, 27 August, to Saturday, 30 August, it gets pretty flat and messy, with swell under 4ft and fresh winds. That’s a stretch of about 4-5 days with nothing worth paddling out for. Sunday, 30 August, afternoon sees a small improvement, with 4ft and offshore winds, but it’s weak.

Monday, 31 August, through Wednesday, 2 September, brings back a consistent run of 5ft to 7ft swell from the SW, with solid offshore winds and longer periods of 15-16 seconds. The energy is in the 1,100 to 1,900 range, which is moderate but good, clean waves for experienced surfers. That’s a nice little window.

Then we hit the second standout on Friday, 4 September, as I said. Saturday, 5 September, has a solid 8ft from the SW, but the wind picks up to 22 mph from the NW, making it a bit of a mess. The afternoon improves with offshore winds and a 7ft swell, so there are still waves for the dedicated crew.

One more thing: Apollo Bay is a beach and point setup, so that long-period swell on the 4th (16 seconds) is going to be best on the point to avoid it closing out too straight. That SSW to SW swell direction is a good match for the optimum SW direction, so the breaks should line up nicely. Crowds are only sometimes an issue here, so you’ll likely have plenty of room.

Rusty, signing off.

Read more