Boulders Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with the outlook for Boulders. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this one’s a bit of a grind for the next week and a half. The trade winds are just howling out of the ESE, and that’s putting a proper cross-onshore chop on the reef. The water temp is sitting right around 81°, which is dead average for this time of year, so no excuses there.

The pattern starts off with a mix of windswell and longer-period groundswell, but the ESE wind is a constant problem. From Monday the 31st of August through to the 10th of September, it’s a solid run of poor conditions. The swell fluctuates between 3ft and 7ft, with periods jumping from a short, weak 7 seconds up to a very long 17 seconds, and the combined energy is moderate to strong (850 to 2326). But that wind just ruins it – it’s consistently fresh and strong, making it lumpy and messy. Even the longer-period groundswells around the 3rd and 4th, with a very long 15 to 17 seconds, are being blown apart. The swell direction swings from ESE to SW and S, but with that wind, it’s all just a battle.

There’s a brief flicker of hope on the 11th of September, where the wind backs off a touch and goes cross-offshore, cleaning things up a bit. It’s still marginal, but it’s the first sign of life.

Now, the real standout – and I mean the only one worth driving for in this 16-day window – is the 12th and 13th of September. That’s your weekend. Saturday the 12th sees a nice, clean offshore breeze from the NNE, with a 2ft to 3ft, very long-period 20 second SW groundswell. The combined energy is moderate (625 to 722). This is a proper reef setup, and that long period will wrap in beautifully. The next day, Sunday the 13th, gets even better. The wind goes glassy in the afternoon with a light cross-offshore breeze, and a 4ft, 17 second SW groundswell. The energy is strong (1067 to 1151). This is the best on offer – clean, lined-up, and all for you. The water is clear, the sun is out, and the crowds are only *sometimes* an issue. Get on it.

After that, the wind turns back onshore from the SSE on the 14th and 15th, and the quality drops again. The swell is still solid at 4ft to 4ft with a very long 17 to 19 second period and strong energy (up to 2670), but the cross-onshore wind makes it a choppy mess. It’s more of a kite-surfing scenario than a clean paddle-in.

So, in short: a long wait for a clean weekend. The 12th and 13th of September are your only real shot. Don’t bother with the rest.

Rusty.

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