Castles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s cooking for us over the next couple of weeks.

We’ve got a classic slow burn kicking off. The first few days are a write-off – Wednesday the 9th and Thursday the 10th are plagued by strong onshore and cross-off winds, making for a messy, blown-out scene. We don't really get anything worth paddling out for until Friday morning the 11th. That’s when things start to turn.

The standout window is without a doubt Wednesday the 16th. Castles (reef) will be firing. We’re looking at a solid 6ft of SW groundswell with a very long 16-second period. That kind of period means proper energy and long lulls between sets, perfect for picking off the good ones on a reef setup. The wind is a light breeze, making for clean, lined-up waves. This is the pick of the fortnight. The combined wave energy is strong at 1357. It’s a bit too big and powerful for beginners though; this one’s for the experienced crew.

Leading up to that, Friday the 11th offers a decent warm-up with 4ft SW swell (15-second period) and clean offshore winds. It’s smaller but fun, with moderate energy (707). Keep an eye on Tuesday morning the 15th – we get a bump of 6ft SW swell (14-second period) under cross-off winds, though the energy is moderate (1147) and conditions are cleaner than the weekend drivel.

The weekend of the 12th and 13th is a wipeout. Saturday has tiny 4ft swell with cross-off winds, and Sunday turns downright ugly with cross-on winds making it choppy and poor. Forget it.

After the Wednesday the 16th highlight, the swell drops again. Thursday morning the 17th still has clean 4ft surf, but the afternoon gets shredded by a fresh SSE wind. Then Friday the 18th is small but clean in the morning.

We then hit a big dead zone from the 19th to the 20th – strong winds and tiny swell. You're looking at a solid 3-day gap with no real surf. The next glimmer comes on Monday morning the 21st with a clean 5ft SW swell (13-second period), offering very good conditions under light offshore winds.

Be warned: Tuesday the 22nd kicks up a serious swell – 8ft to 10ft of SW groundswell. This is big, powerful stuff (energy at 4766), but winds are from the south, creating a cross-chop. It’s one for experts only. Wednesday the 23rd is a total washout with a near-gale blowing onshore, making a mess of it.

The water temp is sitting at 61°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Crowds at Castles are sometimes an issue, so on the good days, expect some company in the water. And remember, this is a reef break, so choose your line carefully. For the long range, the Wednesday the 16th window is the one to circle on your calendar, but it’s still a bit out so keep an eye on the forecasts.

Signing off, Rusty.

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