Barron Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, grab a seat and listen up. I’m lookin’ at the charts for Barron Rivermouth, and it’s a real mixed bag over the next couple of weeks, but there’s a few golden windows if you’re patient.

The standout session is this coming Saturday, the 29th of August. The water temp is a toasty 90°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so you won’t need the thick rubber. We’ve got a solid 4 ft swell from the southwest, with a very long 16 second period – that’s proper groundswell energy. The wind is glassy, just a light 3 mph from the northwest, so the surface will be like a mirror. The combined energy is pumping at 670 (moderate wave energy), and that point/river setup will handle that long period beautifully. It’s a fairly consistent break, so expect waves. Crowds are possible though, so get in early.

Sunday morning the 30th gets a bit dicey with a risk of thunderstorms and a cross-shore wind from the SSE at 12 mph, making things choppy. Swell drops to 3 ft. The afternoon cleans up with a light offshore from the SW, but the quality is still marginal.

Monday and Tuesday are small and weak, with swell below 3 ft and messy cross-onshore winds. Not worth paddling out for.

Now, look ahead to Thursday the 3rd of September. That’s a serious morning session. The wind goes glassy again from the SSW at just 3 mph, and the swell is 3 ft from the SW but with a very long 18 second period. The combined energy jumps to 807 (moderate wave energy). That’s a lot of push for a 3 ft wave. It’s going to be clean and lined up. The afternoon gets a bit cross-onshore, so the morning is the go.

Friday the 4th of September sees the swell building to 4 ft, still from the SW with a 17-second period, and the combined energy hits 1040 (strong wave energy). But the wind is light cross-onshore in the morning and then onshore in the afternoon, so it’s a bit of a gamble. The morning is your best bet, but it won’t be as clean as Thursday.

The second week gets messy. There’s a run of poor conditions from the 6th through the 9th, with small swell and choppy winds. But then things get interesting on the 10th of September. The swell jumps to 6 ft from the SSW with a 15-second period, giving a combined energy of 1535 (strong wave energy). The wind is light cross-onshore in the morning, so it’s rideable, but that’s a big wave for a river mouth. That’s expert territory, and the period is dropping to 11 seconds by the afternoon, so it’s a bit short-period and lumpy. The 11th holds similar size but with a shorter period, so it’s less attractive.

The 12th of September sees the swell dropping to 4 ft, and the wind is cross-shore, which is okay, but it’s a drop-off. After that, the swell fades right out, with tiny waves and poor conditions from the 13th onward.

So to wrap it up: the clear winner is Saturday morning the 29th of August – glassy, long-period groundswell, warm water, and a point break that’ll handle it. Thursday the 3rd of September is your second standout, with that glassy morning and very long period. After that, it’s a pick-and-choose game with building swell but worsening wind.

If you’re a beginner, keep it to the Saturday or Thursday sessions. Anything over 5 ft, like the 10th and 11th, is for the experienced crew only.

Rusty.

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