Black Rocks Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s coming our way at Black Rocks Jetty. This is a reef break that’s very consistent and exposed to the south-west, so when there’s swell, it usually shows. We’ve got a classic run of events, but it’s not all plain sailing – there’s a bit of a wait for the top-shelf stuff.

We kick off Thursday the 27th of August with a solid 10ft south-south-west swell, but the wind is a cross-onshore 12 mph and the water’s a notably warm 77°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year. Still, the 4914 combined energy is strong, but it’s messy – only one for the die-hards with a shortboard and a thick skin. Friday the 28th gets bigger, up to 13ft south-south-west, with that energy climbing to 9362, but it’s lumpy and cross-onshore. Honestly, that’s a kite-surfing day unless you’re a hellman. Saturday the 29th eases back to 12ft with a light cross-shore, but the period is a long 15 seconds, which can make a reef break a bit walled. It’s still marginal.

The standout window opens Sunday the 30th. The morning is pure glass – zero wind, 8ft south-south-west swell with a 14-second period and 2048 energy. The afternoon stays glassy at 7ft. This is clean, solid for experienced surfers, and the reef will be handling that long-period groundswell beautifully. It’s the best wave of the first week, no contest. Monday the 31st glassy again but smaller, 4ft from the south, 497 energy – nice for a cruiser session on a log but not the main event.

After that, we hit a dry spell. Tuesday the 1st of September and Wednesday the 2nd are tiny (3ft dropping to 1ft) with weak energy in the double digits – a gap of several days with nothing worth paddling for. Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th are similarly small and ordinary, around 2ft to 2ft.

Then, the real gold shows up on Saturday the 5th of September. Saturday morning is glassy with a 4ft south-west swell, but the period is a massive 18 seconds, hitting 1444 energy. That’s very long-period groundswell. It’s not huge, but that pulse on a reef means perfect, lined-up waves for a good surfer. The afternoon picks up to 6ft but gets a cross-onshore, so hit the dawn patrol.

Sunday the 6th and Monday the 7th stay in the 4ft to 3ft range, with glassy periods on Monday morning (3ft, 17 seconds, 776 energy) – clean but not as punchy. Tuesday the 8th of September is another standout morning: 5ft south-south-west, 13 seconds, 1058 energy, and glassy. The afternoon holds at 5ft from the south. Wednesday the 9th and Thursday the 10th continue that lovely pattern – 5ft in the mornings, glassy, with 1237 energy dropping to 840. This run from the 8th through the 10th is consistent, clean, and just solid. Friday the 11th is the last day in the window, and it finishes with the afternoon going glassy at 4ft south-west, 13 seconds, 657 energy – a nice wind-down.

Bottom line: you wait through the early blowout and the mid-week flat spell, but the reward at the end is sweet. The absolute top call is Sunday the 30th of August for that glassy 8ft south-west groundswell, followed closely by Tuesday the 8th of September for the clean, consistent 5ft. Don’t sleep on those.

Stay frothy,
Rusty

Read more