Barron Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and here’s the surf outlook for Barron Rivermouth.

Alright, let’s be straight—this is a tough run for Barron Rivermouth. The next couple of weeks are mostly low-energy, with average swell heights lingering around 2 ft to 3 ft, and periods that are solid enough for groundswell, but the wind and chop just won’t do us any favours. The water temperature is sitting at 89°, which is a good 4° warmer than the long-term average for this time of year—so it’s notably warm, definitely a bit of a tropical feel in the water.

There’s a decent gap of days with very little to recommend. From Wednesday 19th through to Saturday 22nd, it’s marginal at best—mostly cross-onshore winds, poor surf conditions, and light chop. The swell energy is weak to moderate, only reaching around 339 at best on Wednesday morning, but with a westerly wind still pushing on, it’s not worth paddling out.

Sunday 23rd morning is the standout of the whole outlook. We’ve got glassy conditions, with calm wind and zero breeze from the WNW—this is the kind of clean surface you dream about. The swell is 2 ft from the SW, with a period of 14 seconds, and energy sits at 327. It’s small, but it’s clean, and the onshore wind won’t ruin it. For a point/river break like this, that long period helps the waves hold shape, even if small. Crowds are sometimes around, so you might have a few others enjoying it too.

After that, the week goes flat again. The entire week from Monday 24th to Sunday 30th is mostly poor conditions, with onshore and cross-onshore winds, and the swell staying small—2 ft to 4 ft, but consistently marred by chop. The wind keeps blowing from the west and WNW, making it messy. The energy picks up a little on Friday 28th (502) and Saturday 29th (862), but the wind is still cross-on, so it’s not clean enough to get excited about.

Sunday 30th and Monday 31st are still small, with 3 ft to 4 ft SW swell, but the wind is slightly better on Sunday morning with a light SW breeze. Still, it’s cross-on, so it’s not glassy.

The first few days of September are unremarkable, with swell dropping to 2 ft and periods down to 10–12 seconds, which is shorter and less punchy. By Thursday 3rd September, the swell bumps up to 5 ft, but the period drops to 10 seconds, and the wind is cross-on, so it’s just messy.

If you’re a beginner, most of these swells are small enough—2 ft to 4 ft—so it’s not too big, but the waves are rarely clean. For experts, there’s nothing over 8 ft, so it’s not a day for pulling out the big guns. Given the persistent cross-onshore winds and small swell, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on most days.

Bottom line: Sunday 23rd morning is the only real window for a surf. It’s small, but glassy, and worth a paddle if you’re keen. The rest of the 16 days is a write-off.

Rusty.

Read more