Austinmer Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Austinmer Beach over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the first week and a half is a bit of a write-off for any decent waves. You’ve got a long, flat, ordinary stretch from Saturday the 29th of August all the way through to Monday the 7th of September. During that time, the swell is tiny, mostly around that knee-to-waist high range (1ft to 4ft) with a short, weak period (7-11 seconds) from the south and southeast. The combined wave energy is weak to moderate (between 41 and 387) most days, and the wind is either on it or messy. There are a couple of glassy or offshore windows, like Sunday morning the 30th when it’s glassy as a mirror on a 3ft southerly, but the energy is just too low (193) to get excited about. It’s surfable if you’re desperate for a log session, but it’s not what we’re looking for.

Now, the real story, and the only standout, comes in on Tuesday the 8th of September. The ocean is going to wake up in a big way. A solid southerly swell pushes through, hitting 12ft on the Tuesday with a period of 9-11 seconds. That’s a big boy swell, and the combined energy is massive (2090 to 3164). But here’s the catch for Austinmer Beach – this break is a beginner spot, and when the swell cranks up over 8ft, it’s expert territory only. The wind on Tuesday afternoon goes glassy offshore from the WNW, which would make it look like a postcard, but the size is just too big for this beach. This isn’t a paddle session for the average punter; with that much power and clean offshore wind, this setup looks far more interesting for the kite surfers than us paddle guys. It’s a wild day, but not for a relaxed surf.

Wednesday the 9th of September is still pumping with 7ft to 10ft of SSE swell, but again, that’s way too big for this break. The wind is howling from the WSW/SW at 16 mph, making it clean but still an expert-only show.

After that big pulse, things start settling down. By Friday the 11th of September, the swell drops to a more manageable 5ft (from the SSE) with a 10-second period, and the morning brings a glassy offshore breeze from the WNW. This is actually your best bet for a clean, solid session at Austinmer. The energy is moderate (440), the waves are a heavy head-high, and it’s clean. That’s the one to circle on the calendar for a proper go. Saturday the 12th is smaller again (4ft) and a bit onshore, and it fades out into the next week.

So to wrap it up: ignore the first ten days unless you’ve got a foamie and no standards. The big swell on the 8th and 9th is only for experts or the kite crew. Your true window for a quality paddle is Friday morning, the 11th of September – clean, head-high, and well worth the wait.

Rusty

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