Black Rocks Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, mates. Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for our stretch of coast, getting a feel for what’s coming in over the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a bit of a waiting game on our hands, but when it turns on, it’s gonna be a proper show.

We’re starting with a real bang on Thursday morning, August 27th. There’s a solid, powerful groundswell rolling in from the SSW, pushing a 10-foot face with a super long 17-second period. The energy is full-on, reading 4932 – that’s some serious juice. And with the water temp sitting at 77.4°F, nearly 4.1°F warmer than it should be for this time of year, the whole place feels alive and tropical. It’s glassy as a mirror with that super light offshore air, so conditions for experienced surfers are about as good as they get. The swell direction is spot-on for the reef. This is the standout window, plain and simple.

Later that same afternoon, we’ll see things get a little bumpy as a gentle breeze swings cross-onshore, making the lineup a bit choppy and the tide a bit tricky. It’ll still be 10 feet and powerful, but the magic is gone for the day. Friday, the 28th, is a washout – the wind picks up hard from the SSE, and it’s onshore and lumpy all day. There’s plenty of energy, with the combined total jumping to over 7500, but it’s gonna be a messy, blown-out mess. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing that day. You’d be mad to paddle out on that.

We get a proper reset for Saturday, the 29th. The swell eases a touch to 11 feet in the morning, but it’s absolutely glassy again with light ESE airs. It’s still a big, powerful SSW swell with strong energy (4900), and conditions are once again excellent for the experienced crew. The afternoon stays in the 10-foot range and stays glassy – a proper day for charging. Sunday, the 30th, sees the swell mellow out to a still-very-fun size of 7.5 feet in the morning and 7 feet in the afternoon, clean and glassy the whole time. It’s a classic, powerful SSW pulse with energy in the 2000s and 1500s, and it’s all about getting some clean reefs to yourself.

After that, we ease off into the start of the new week. Monday, the 31st, has some clean little 4-foot waves, but the energy is dropping fast (497). It’s surfable, but lacks the grunt of the weekend. From Tuesday, September 1st, things go quiet. We’re looking at a solid gap for several days where the swell just disappears, dropping to less than 3 feet and sometimes down to 1.5 feet. The energy reading bottoms out in the double digits. The wind is mainly light and variable, but there’s just nothing to ride. This is the flat spell, the lull before the next pulse. When it’s this flat, you just have to be patient. Given how consistent this spot usually is, it tends not to stay this poor for long.

Then, we’ve got a comeback on tap for Saturday, September 5th. A new SSW groundswell starts to fill in, pushing 5.5 feet in the morning. The morning is a bit iffy with a light onshore, but the afternoon is the real deal: 6 feet, clean, and with a light cross-offshore wind. The energy is back up over the 1400 mark. It’s the first taste of the fun to come. Sunday, September 6th, keeps it alive with 5- to 5.5-foot waves and clean conditions, and the energy holds in the 1200s. Then Monday, the 7th, builds back up to 7 feet, but the wind and tide look a bit messy, making it marginal.

The real standout of this next pulse shapes up for Wednesday, September 9th. The swell jumps back up to a strong 10 feet with a long 17-second period from the SSW, and the energy is back up over 5000. The afternoon is glassy and clean, offering excellent conditions for the experts. This is the other big day on the calendar. The next couple of days on the 10th and 11th are still solid, with 7-foot and 4-foot waves respectively, and plenty of clean windows, but they’re not quite at that same level.

So, when you boil it down, you’ve got two massive sessions: Thursday, August 27th, and Wednesday, September 9th. They’re both big, powerful SSW swells hitting the reef perfectly. The first one is a sure thing, the second is a lot further out, so treat it as promising but not locked in. The long periods are what make this reef sing, and both days have that in spades. For the board riding it, the size is definitely one for the advanced crew. Beginners will want to give these days a miss, but if you’ve got the skill, it’s going to be on.

Catch you in the water.

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