Carola Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright mate, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Carola over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, I’m gonna level with you – this is a tough one. The whole 16-day window is looking pretty flat. We’ve got a real dry spell on our hands. The water’s sitting at 77°F, which is a good 8°F warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s very unusual, feels almost tropical out there.

The first real sniff of anything is on Monday afternoon, August 31st, but it’s not worth paddling out for. We’re talking a tiny 0.7ft north-northwest swell with a short 8-second period, and the combined wave energy is a measly 5. That’s weak. The wind’s howling from the south at 16 mph, putting a nasty cross-shore chop on the water. It’s just poor surf conditions.

From there, it’s a long stretch of nothing. For days on end – through the whole first week of September – the swell is either non-existent or just a whisper. We get a few tiny pulses of northwest swell, like 0.3ft to 0.7ft, but the energy is still in the single digits or low teens. The wind is mostly cross-off from the south or south-southeast, keeping the surface clean, but there’s just no wave to ride.

We do see a slight bump around September 7th, with a 1.0ft northwest swell showing up, but it’s still only 15-17 in the energy department. The period is 10 seconds, so it’s not got any punch. The conditions remain clean, but you’re basically looking at a lake.

The best we can hope for is towards the end of the second week. On Friday morning, September 11th, and again on Saturday morning, September 12th, we get a 1.0ft northwest swell with a period stretching to 12 seconds. That’s a longer-period groundswell, which is a good sign for shape, and the energy climbs to 22. The wind is still cross-off from the SSE at 12 mph, keeping the surface clean. It’s still tiny, but it’s the most promising it gets.

So, the standout window, if you can call it that, is Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th of September. Carola is a reef break that’s exposed to the north, and that’s exactly where the small swell is coming from. It’s a fairly consistent spot usually, but it’s just not on this run. The cross-off wind will keep the surface clean, which is a positive. But with only 1.0ft on offer, it’s really only going to be tiny, mushy waves for the advanced crew. Don’t expect any barrels.

The rest of the 16 days is a write-off. There’s a gap of several days with absolutely no recommendations, and the energy never gets above 32. It’s a proper flat spell. For anyone looking for a bit of wind, the strong cross-shore breezes might make this more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Keep your eyes on the forecasts, though – it tends not to stay this flat forever.

Rusty.

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