Burleigh Heads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s have a yarn about the surf ahead at Burleigh Heads.

Alright, straight up – the next couple of weeks are a mixed bag. There’s a bit of size early on, but conditions are messy. The real standout doesn’t roll in until Wednesday the 19th, when the energy jumps right up. We’ve got a moderate wave energy reading of 412 on Sunday morning, 16 August, but the cross-off wind keeps things clean-ish, with a 7ft SSE swell at a short 7-second period. That’s not a classic Burleigh wave – a bit too fat and quick. The water temp is sitting at 68°, which is about 2° cooler than average, so pretty standard for this time of year.

Sunday afternoon drops a bit to 6ft, still SSE, and the wind picks up to 25 km/h, still cross-off. It’s surfable but not firing. Monday 17 August and Tuesday 18 August are write-offs – onshore and cross-shore winds with moderate chop, and the swell is around 7ft to 7ft from the SE, period still short at 8 seconds. Not worth paddling out for.

Now, Wednesday morning 19 August – this is the one to circle. The swell jumps to 6ft from the ESE, but the period stretches out to 11 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell. The combined energy is strong at 1536. Winds are light cross-off from the SSE at 15 km/h, so the waves will be clean. That long period will really suit Burleigh’s point setup – longer, more powerful lines, though sets will be more spaced. This is the best on offer for the whole outlook.

Thursday 20 August sees the swell ease slightly – 6ft to 6ft from the ESE, period back to 8 seconds, but cross-off winds keep it clean. Not as good as Wednesday, but still a chance for a session. Friday 21 August morning is glassy – wind drops to 5 km/h from the east, swell 5ft, period 8 seconds. The glassy surface is a huge plus, so get in early before the wind swings onshore in the afternoon.

From Saturday 22 August through to the end of the month, it’s mostly small, weak, or windy. There are a few clean moments, like Wednesday 26 August morning with a 30 km/h cross-off and 3ft swell, but that’s blown out and tiny. The 25 August Tuesday morning is glassy with a tiny 2ft SSE swell – barely a ripple. The rest is poor, with cross-shore or onshore winds and very little energy. The last few days of August and into September are flat and not worth getting excited about.

So, to wrap it up: Wednesday 19 August morning is your standout. Get it while it’s clean and the energy is pumping. After that, Friday 21 August morning has that rare glass, but it’s smaller. The rest is pretty average, with a long gap of poor conditions from late August.

Rusty.

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