Black Rocks Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s comin’ our way.

Alright, we’ve got a solid run of surf setting up here on the South Coast, all focused on Black Rocks Jetty. The water’s sitting at 77° – that’s a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you might want a thinner wetsuit or just a good springy.

We kick off Thursday morning (13th August) with some glassy conditions. It’s small, only 4ft from the SW, but it’s a nice clean 13-second groundswell. The energy is weak (363), but the glassy wind makes for a fun, uncrowded paddle. This is a good warm-up session.

Thursday afternoon gets even better. The swell bumps up a notch to 4ft, the period stays solid at 12 seconds, the wind is dead calm and it’s glassy as can be. The energy picks up (525). That’s a very fun, clean session for anyone who can sneak out.

Now, Friday (14th) and Saturday (15th) see a bump in size, but the wind turns cross-shore, which messes with the surface. Friday morning has 6ft SSW at 13 seconds, but there’s a light cross-breeze. The energy jumps to strong (1175), but it’s not clean. Saturday morning stays cross-shore, same 6ft but now the period hits 20 seconds. That’s a proper long-period groundswell. The energy is very strong (3762). This kind of swell can be a bit straight at a beach break, but Black Rocks is a reef, so it should handle it. Still, the cross-wind is a shame. Saturday afternoon gets rain showers and a cross-on breeze with 8ft SSW (5378 energy). It’s a lot of power, but it’s going to be bumpy. This setup looks more interesting for the kite crew than paddle surfers.

Sunday (16th August) is where it’s at. Sunday morning we have a glassed-off 8ft SSW swell at 16 seconds. The energy is very strong (3428). This is expert territory at that size and power, but if you’ve got the skills and the right board, Sunday morning is the standout session of the whole run. The reef will hold it, and it’ll be clean. Sunday afternoon drops to 8ft, still glassy, still a long 16-second period, but slightly less juice (2716). Still excellent for experienced surfers.

Monday (17th) backs off into the 4ft range, but Monday morning is clean with a 16-second period (1462 energy). A nice, easy recovery session. The rest of the week tails off into smaller, weaker SW swell with occasional onshore winds. By Thursday 20th and Friday 21st it’s just 2ft to 4ft, nothing to get excited about.

Saturday 22nd August brings a fresh pulse. Saturday morning is glassy, 3ft SSW at 12 seconds (728 energy) – a clean little beginner-friendly morning. Saturday afternoon it’s dead calm, 4ft SSW at 15 seconds (1076). Much better shape. Then Sunday 23rd has a glassy 6ft SSW at 13 seconds (1077). That’s a solid, clean, fun-sized Sunday surf. Good for intermediate and up.

Monday 24th August is another standout alert. Monday morning is glassed off with 7ft SSW from a 16-second groundswell. The energy is over 2000 (2058). This is another big, clean, powerful day for the experts. Monday afternoon stays big (7ft) but picks up a light cross-on, so the morning is the call.

The following days, 25th to 27th, stay fun but smaller, with 5ft to 6ft SSW swells, mostly glassy windows on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday. Good for a paddle.

Then Friday 28th August sees another surge. Friday morning is 7ft SSW at a very long 18 seconds, but the wind is onshore, so the surface will be lumpy. Friday afternoon, the wind swings north and goes glassy, and we get a clean 7ft at 16 seconds (1995 energy). That’s the final, proper standout for the confident crew.

So, if you’re picking your battles: Sunday morning (16th) and Monday morning (24th) are the absolute best on offer – big, clean, powerful, and made for the reef. For the rest of us, the glassy Thursday (13th), Sunday (23rd), and Tuesday afternoon (25th) windows are all excellent options with much friendlier size.

The only real gap is after the first week, but it fills in again. This is a good run for Black Rocks Jetty. Keep an eye on the long-range stuff for the 24th and 28th, they’re promising but not as locked in as the first weekend.

Rusty.

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