Carola Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s happening at Carola for the next couple of weeks. I’ve got to level with you: this is a real dry spell. The whole 16-day window is looking flat and not worth getting wet for. There are no proper waves on offer for a surfer, and that’s a long stretch with nothing to get excited about.

Right now, we’re in a quiet patch that kicks off on Monday the 10th of August. The water’s sitting at a very warm 78°, which is a solid 8° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s way out of the ordinary, almost like a bath. But don’t let that fool you, because the surf is barely a ripple. Monday afternoon sees a tiny 0.3m (that’s about 1 foot) swell from the north-northeast with a short, weak 8-second period and combined energy of only 12 – that’s barely enough to wet the fins. The wind is a cross-off from the SSE at 16 mph, which keeps the surface clean but with no real push behind the swell, it’s a total loss.

Tuesday the 11th is more of the same: a 0.5m (2 ft) north swell, still 8 seconds, still that same cross-off breeze. Combined energy lifts a tiny bit to 36, but really, it’s still poor. By Tuesday afternoon the swell disappears entirely, and we stay flat through Wednesday and into Thursday. Thursday morning the 13th sees a tiny 0.3m (1 ft) pulse back from the north, same short period, energy back down to 12, and it’s just not worth paddling out for.

The rest of that first week and into the second week stays grim. Friday the 14th through Sunday the 16th, we’re looking at 0.2m (0.7 ft) waves, sometimes with no swell at all, and energy readings that never get into triple digits. The wind stays cross-off or goes cross-shore on Saturday afternoon, but it doesn’t matter – there’s nothing to ride. Monday the 17th is flat again.

We get a slight bump on Tuesday the 18th with a 0.3m (1 ft) north swell, period stretching to a somewhat better 9 seconds for the morning, and combined energy of 19. That’s the most energy we’ve seen, but it’s still laughably small. Wind is a fresh breeze at 19 mph from the southeast – still cross-off, but that much wind on such small waves is just messy.

From Wednesday the 19th right through to the end of the outlook on Tuesday the 25th of August, it’s the same story: tiny dribbles of 0.2m (0.7 ft), sometimes 0.3m (1 ft), short periods, occasional flat spells, and energy that never gets beyond 13. The wind stays light to moderate cross-off or goes cross on the weekend of the 22nd and 23rd, but with no swell, it doesn’t matter one bit.

To call this a surf outlook is a stretch. Carola is a reef break that’s fairly consistent and exposed to north swell, but there is simply no swell running. The best I can say is that the water is clean, but that’s beach weather, not surf weather. If you’re desperate for peace and quiet on the water, you’ve got it, but for waves? Forget it. These blank runs happen, and forecasts can change, but right now, there’s no highlight, no standout – just a long, flat gap.

Rusty.

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