Baldwin Beach Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at the next couple of weeks here at Baldwin Beach Park. Honestly, it’s a bit of a rough start for the first week. The local lads won’t be getting any clean lines for a while.

We’re looking at a long stretch of poor surf. From Monday, August 10th, right through to Saturday, August 15th, it’s mostly cross-shore or cross-onshore winds making a mess of things. The swell is hanging around the 4 ft to 6 ft mark, but it’s short-period stuff, only 7 to 8 seconds, and the ENE trades are just blowing it apart. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing wild to report.

The real drama starts on Saturday, August 15th. The swell jumps up to 8 ft from the east, with a proper 13-second period, and the combined energy hits a massive 2551 (moderate wave energy). But it’s rain showers and a stiff cross-onshore wind, so it’s a choppy, blown-out mess. Sunday, August 16th, gets even bigger—15 ft to 16 ft of ENE groundswell, but with a risk of thunderstorms. The wind swings around to the southwest on Sunday afternoon, turning it cross-offshore and clean for the first time. That afternoon session on the 16th has a score of 8 out of 10, with 16 ft sets and a 13-second period. That’s a massive amount of water moving, with a combined energy of 8137 (strong wave energy). This is a proper expert-only situation; the wave state is described as "clean," but the size is dangerous. The setup is a reef and point, which is good for a long-period groundswell like this, but it’s still only for the brave.

Monday, August 17th, is actually the standout. The morning has 8 ft swell from the ENE, but with a light 3 mph southwest wind coming cross-offshore. The combined energy is 1042 (moderate wave energy), and it’s clean. This is the best on offer for experienced surfers. The swell direction is ENE, and the optimum swell direction for this spot is NNE, so it’s not a perfect match, but the clean conditions and solid 8 ft make it the pick of the fortnight. The afternoon drops to 6 ft but stays clean.

After that, from Tuesday, August 18th, it’s back to the trades and poor surf. The rest of the window is a write-off until the 25th, with small 3 ft to 5 ft windswell and cross-shore chop. There’s a long gap of poor conditions from the 18th onward.

The only true standout is Monday, August 17th, for the experienced crew. The Sunday afternoon before it is a big, clean, but dangerous option for experts only.

Rusty.

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