Blacks Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's be real with you. I've stared at this forecast for the next couple of weeks and, well, it's a bit of a slow grind for our stretch of coast. The overall pattern is one of small, weak surf, with a lot of marginal and poor conditions. We're not looking at any kind of proper pulse for a while.

We kick things off with the weekend right now. Saturday the 22nd is going to have dribbles of swell, but don't get too excited. The energy is weak, sitting at 202. We have clean, light west winds on it in the morning, but it's just not going to be worth the paddle. The swell drops off to a max of 2ft from the SSW. It's a tough look.

The pattern continues into the start of the next week. From Sunday the 23rd through the 25th, there's a slightly better period from the SW, but it's still small, in that 2ft to 2ft range. The energy is weak to moderate at best, with readings around 361 and 341. The winds are mostly light and clean, but there’s just no push to the waves. It’s the kind of surf where you find yourself just bobbing around waiting for something that never really shows.

Then we hit a bit of a flat spot around the 26th. The wind turns a little cross-on, and the energy completely drops. We're looking at a day or two where I honestly wouldn't even bother waxing up. The best thing about this period is the lack of wind, but the waves are just terrible.

Now, here is where things get a little interesting, but you're going to need some patience. Around the 28th of August, we start to see some more promise, even if it's still small. The swell direction is SSW and the period stretches out, which is a good sign. The energy jumps to 717, which is moderate, and we see the swell nudge up to a still-puny 3ft. It’s still not big, but better than what we had.

The end of the month and into the first few days of September is where the real action might be. The period around the 29th and 30th of August sees the most consistent and strongest energy of the entire window, hitting 728 and 714. Swell heights stay around 3ft to 4ft from the SSW with that nice long 15-17 second interval. It’s a proper groundswell, though for a beach break like this, that longer period can sometimes make it a bit straight and closey. That's the caveat with the long-period groundswell. Winds stay light, so it's going to be clean, but you'll be picking off the set waves. It's not a standout for the history books, but it's the best on offer in this run.

So my pick of the fortnight, if you can wait, is the morning of Sunday the 30th of August at Blacks Beach. It'll have that 4ft of SSW swell at a solid 15-second period, with the combined energy at 635, which is moderate. The winds are light, cross-on from the WSW, but will be clean enough. Don't expect perfection, but it's the most promising of a challenging period. If you're a beginner, this small swell won't be a problem size-wise, but the long period might be a little tricky.

We get a reminder on the 3rd and 4th of September that things haven't fully switched on. The energy bumps around, but the conditions are still marginal. There are more clean windows on the 4th, with a light breeze from the SW, but the swell is still just 3ft. It’s more of the same.

Listen, the next couple of weeks aren't going to be a world-class show. It's a waiting game. The swell is inconsistent and mostly small. The one silver lining is the clean, light winds on many of these days, but the ocean isn't giving us much to work with. You'll have to be hungry for it. This is a case where the forecast looks better for a longboard and a lazy paddle than for a high-performance session. Keep an eye on that end-of-August window, it’s your best shot.

Rusty, signing off.

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