Burleigh Heads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, mate, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the Burleigh Heads stretch. This one’s a bit of a tough watch, to be honest. The next sixteen days are mostly gonna be a write-off, with only a few fleeting moments that might just get you wet.

The water sits at 68°, which is about 1° cooler than the long-term average for this time of year. Not a big deal, nothing that’ll have you shivering, just a touch on the fresh side.

The first real glimmer of hope comes on Friday, the 21st of August, in the morning. It’s not big, with a small 3ft swell pushing in from the ESE, but the wind’s gone glassy, coming out of the NNE at just 3 mph. That means the face of the wave will be smooth as silk. The combined swell energy is a weak 103, so don’t expect any power, but for a bit of a glide on a log, you could do worse. This is a point break, so that long period won’t be an issue. It’s a tiny window of clean, small waves for the early crew.

After that, it’s a long, grim stretch of onshore junk and tiny, weak slop. Scores are zero for days on end. You’ve got a lot of mornings with light cross-shore breezes, but the swell is just too small and weak to do anything with. The combined energy sits in the double digits or low triple digits for ages, and the period is short, mostly 7 to 8 seconds. It’s the kind of stuff that’s only good for a float.

There’s a slight change in the wind on Wednesday, the 26th of August, in the afternoon. Clean, cross-off breeze from the WNW at 9 mph, with a 3ft wave from the ENE. It’s surfable, but still very ordinary. The energy is only 87, so it’s weak.

The next notable moment is a long way off, on Wednesday, the 2nd of September. The morning brings a clean cross-off from the west at 6 mph, with a 4ft wave from the east. The energy is moderate at 247. Then, the afternoon goes completely glassy, with the ESE wind dropping to zero. That’s a rare treat. The swell is 4ft from the east, with a moderate energy of 188. It’s still not a standout, but it’s the cleanest surface you’ll see in the whole run.

The Thursday morning, the 3rd of September, also goes glassy, with a 4ft wave from the north, but the period is a short 6 seconds, so it’ll be a bit weak and crumbly. Energy sits at 199.

If I had to pick the best of this very average bunch, it’s the Friday morning, the 21st of August, for the glassy conditions, or the glassy and clean windows on the 2nd and 3rd of September. But honestly, don’t get your hopes up. The swell is small, the energy is mostly weak, and the good windows are tiny. The last week of August and first days of September show a bit more size, but the wind is on it or cross-on, making it a choppy mess. That 8ft on the 31st of August afternoon with an onshore breeze is a write-off for the paddle crew – might be more interesting for the kite surfers.

So, keep your expectations low and your eyes on the wind. It’s a lean period for Burleigh.

Rusty.

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