Apollo Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming down the pipe for Apollo Bay.

We're starting off quiet, but don't walk away just yet. The real magic is a long way off, and it's a doozy.

First up, we've got a small window on Thursday the 27th of August. Apollo Bay is showing a little 3 ft SSW groundswell, with a solid 11-second period, and the wind is dead calm—glassy conditions. The water's sitting at 57°F, which is pretty much what you'd expect for this time of year. It's not going to blow your mind, but for a gentle paddle on a longboard, it's a nice start. The combined energy is weak (312).

Friday the 28th sees a step up. Morning comes in with a 5 ft SW groundswell, period stretching out to 18 seconds—that’s proper groundswell territory. The wind is cross-offshore, and the energy is strong (1634). This is a step up in quality, but the swell is getting solid. At 5 ft, it's starting to push past the beginner zone. The afternoon holds similar size with a bit less period.

Saturday the 29th is where the wind starts playing nice. We've got offshore breezes for the morning and a building 5 ft SW swell. By the afternoon, it's a clean 7 ft SW groundswell with a 14-second period, and the energy is very strong (2305). This is a proper session for anyone with a bit of experience, but it's getting too big for beginners.

Sunday the 30th is more of the same goodness—offshore winds, solid 6 ft to 6 ft SW groundswell, and clean conditions. The energy is still strong (1040-1138). It's consistent, and it's good.

Now, hold onto your boards for Monday the 31st of August. The wind drops to glassy—absolutely dead calm—and we've got a 7 ft to 7 ft SW groundswell with a 15-second period. The energy is very strong (2106-2107). This is a standout. The combination of a long-period groundswell and glassy conditions doesn't come around often. It's going to be lumpy and powerful, so this is for the experienced crew only. The crowd factor is "sometimes," so you might have some company, but with conditions this good, it's worth it.

The first week of September gets messy. Tuesday the 1st is blown out by strong winds, and the quality drops right off. Wednesday the 2nd has a massive 12 ft WSW swell, but it's still pretty clean with offshore winds in the afternoon. The energy is extreme (6572-5766). This is only for the experts.

Then we hit the real headline. Thursday the 4th of September. This is a monster. We're looking at a 20 ft WSW swell, 14-second period, and moderate offshore winds. The combined energy is off the charts (18509-15733). This is exceptional for expert surfers only. If you know what you're doing and have a big-wave board, this is the one you've been waiting for. It's a long way out, so the forecast is promising but less certain, but by god, it's a jaw-dropping forecast.

After that, the swell drops back but stays big and messy. Friday the 5th has an 8 ft swell with strong winds, and Saturday the 6th has another 15 ft to 20 ft pulse, but the wind is howling, making it a real battle to paddle into. Honestly, a setup like that, with strong offshore winds and that much power, looks more interesting for the kite surfers than the paddle crew.

The second week stays active with big swells but often poor wind conditions, and by the 10th and 11th of September, we're down to smaller, weaker leftovers with onshore winds.

So, to wrap it up: the best windows are Monday the 31st of August for that glassy, groundswell perfection, and the massive, expert-only Thursday the 4th of September. Don't sleep on the 29th and 30th of August either—they're solid, clean days.

Rusty.

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