Barrack Point Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here again, breaking down the surf for Barrack Point. It’s a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks – plenty of swell at times, but the wind is going to be the real deciding factor. Let’s call it like it is.

The opening act is big and burly. Wednesday, September 16 is a solid 3.0m of south swell with a 10-second period, but a 30 km/h SSW cross-off wind is going to have it a bit raw. There’s a heap of energy pushing through (1720 and 1653), but this is serious, serious surf – not one for the casual punter. It’s clean, but it’s big. You’d want to be pretty confident in your abilities.

Things settle a touch on Thursday, September 17 – the swell eases to 2.3m from the SSE, still with that solid period, but the wind drops right back to a gentle 15 km/h cross-off. This is the beginning of the good run. The waves will have some size and power, but it’s manageable and clean. This is a proper day out.

Friday, September 18 is the gem. The swell is down to 1.3m from the SSE, still a nice 9-second interval, and the wind goes glass – dead calm in the morning. This is as perfect as it gets. Small, clean, and any longboard or high-performance shortboard is going to be smiling. It’s not big, but it’s beautiful.

Then it fades into mush for the weekend. Saturday, September 19 is down to under a metre, and while the morning has slight offshore, it’s a bit of a dribbler. Sunday, September 20 starts clean with a light northerly, but there’s a strange, long-period (18-second) tiny pulse that doesn’t have the guts to do much.

From Monday, September 21 through Thursday, September 24, it’s a poor man’s surf. A mix of southerly and then easterly swells, but the periods drop to the 6-8 second range, and the wind is predominantly cross or onshore. It’s windy, it’s choppy, and the waves are lumpy. There are a couple of days with a bit of size (1.9m on Tuesday), but it’s messy. Not recommended unless you’re a glutton for punishment.

Friday, September 25 gives you one more clean window, with the swell back down to 1.2m and an afternoon glass-off from the east. The period is still short at 7 seconds, so it’ll be a bit weak, but the conditions are clean. It’s the definition of marginal but doable.

After that, it’s another downward spiral. Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27 see a building northeasterly windswell, with Sunday pushing up to 2.5m but with a terrible 8-second period and onshore winds – that's just a stormy mess. Not worth the drive.

The final few days, Monday, September 29 through Wednesday, October 1, are small and messy. East-northeast swells with short periods and a mix of cross-on and occasionally offshore winds. There’s nothing that screams “surf me.” It’s all pretty average.

So, in the end, you’ve got two real windows of opportunity – Thursday, September 17 and Friday, September 18 – and maybe a nod to Friday afternoon, September 25 if you’re keen for a clean, if weak, session. The rest is a write-off, honestly. Water temp is a normal 18°, nothing special there. It’s a waiting game, lads.

Rusty out.

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