Arrawarra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, it’s Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for the next couple of weeks. Honestly, it’s a tough stretch for the Arrawarra area. We’ve got a long, drawn-out run of poor conditions before anything really starts to look promising. The swell energy is weak for most of the first week, with readings sitting between 42 and 147 (combined energy units), which is just not enough to get the blood pumping. The water temp is sitting at 68°, which is about average for this time of year, nothing to write home about.

Let’s start with the beginning of the period. From Wednesday, the 2nd of September, right through to the middle of the following week, it’s a real struggle. The morning of Wednesday the 2nd has a tiny 2ft SSE swell, but a cross-on NW breeze at 9 mph just messes it up. It’s the same story day after day—small, messy, poor surf. The 4th of September offers a glimmer on Friday morning with a 2ft SSE swell and a clean, cross-off S wind at 9 mph, giving us surfable but very ordinary conditions. It’s barely worth paddling out for. The energy is weak at 60 (combined energy units). The 6th of September, Sunday morning, is similar with a tiny 1.0ft E swell and clean conditions, but again, the energy is a paltry 49.

There’s a real gap here. We’re looking at a solid week of nothing doing until we get to the 9th of September. On Wednesday the 9th, the morning session is the first real highlight. A 3ft SSE swell rolls in with a glassy, no-wind situation—0 mph from the SSE. That’s a major positive; the surf will be clean as a whistle. The combined energy jumps to 152 (moderate). But hold your horses, the period is only 8 seconds, so it’s a short-period wind swell, not a proper groundswell. It’s surfable, but don’t expect any world-class barrels.

The standout of the entire 16-day window has to be the morning of Friday the 11th of September. This is where it gets interesting. We’ve got a 3ft SSE swell, but the period is 14 seconds—that’s a long-period groundswell with some real energy behind it. The combined energy hits 459 (strong), and the wind is a clean cross-off from the S at 16 mph. That’s the best we’ve got. The afternoon of the 11th is also good, with a 3ft SSE swell, 13-second period, and 313 energy (moderate). The water temp is still average, and the showers might keep the crowds down, but this is a point break that handles a long-period swell well. This is the one to circle on the calendar.

After that, the 12th of September has a clean 2ft SSE swell on the Saturday morning, but it’s a bit ordinary. The 14th of September shows a clean 3ft E swell, but the energy is only 137. The 17th of September, Thursday, sees the swell size bump up to 5ft to 6ft from the ENE, but the period is short (7-8 seconds) and the wind is cross-off or cross-shore. It’s marginal and a bit of a mess. The 6ft swell on the afternoon of the 17th is big enough to be a challenge, but with that short period, it’s a jumbled, lumpy affair. Probably only for the experienced guys.

Overall, the consistent theme here is that Arrawarra is a point break that is fairly consistent, but the wind and swell direction are just not lining up for most of this period. The best bet is without a doubt the morning of the 11th of September. That long-period groundswell with clean offshores is the only real standout. The rest of the time, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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