Castles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty, and I've got the lowdown on the next couple of weeks at Castles (this is a reef setup, so we're not talking about a beach break here). The water's sitting at 60°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no need to dig out the extra rubber just yet.

The first window of proper surf kicks off on Sunday afternoon, the 16th of August. It's a bit of a mixed bag to start, with a 4ft swell from the SW, but it's a long-period 14-second groundswell. The energy is moderate (650), and while the wind is a cross-off from the SE, the conditions are described as marginal and a bit questionable on the tide. We'll get a few, but it's not the pick of the week.

Monday the 17th is where it starts to clean up. Early morning you've got a smaller 3ft SW swell, but with a 16-second period and a clean offshore breeze from the ENE. The energy is moderate (519), and it's set to be a very good session. The afternoon holds a bit more size at 4ft from the SW, same long period, and a light cross-off. This is a solid, clean day.

Tuesday the 18th is a write-off. The morning has a 4ft SW swell but the wind is a strong 19 mph NNE cross-off, making for a clean but fresh breeze, and the quality is poor. The afternoon turns into a lumpy mess with a 19 mph NNW cross-shore. Give it a miss.

The pattern stays average through to the end of the week. Wednesday the 19th, Thursday the 20th, and Friday the 21st all see onshore or cross-onshore winds, with the swell hovering around 3ft to 6ft. The energy picks up to strong on Friday (1758), but the wind is onshore from the SW, so it's going to be a bit of a task. Hardly worth paddling out for.

Now, here's where it gets interesting. Saturday the 22nd of August is the first real standout. The morning delivers a 5ft SW swell with a 15-second period, and the wind is a light cross-off from the NE. The energy is strong (1113), and the conditions are clean and excellent for experienced surfers. This is the one to circle. Sunday the 23rd morning is also a cracker: 4ft from the SW, 14-second period, light cross-off from the north, and clean conditions. Another quality session.

The following week starts poorly. Monday the 24th is blown out with strong winds, and Tuesday the 25th is average with moderate offshore winds but the swell is small and short-period. The energy is weak.

But hold on to your boardies, because Saturday the 29th of August is a bomb. The morning is calling for a solid 8ft SW swell with an 18-second period, and the wind is absolutely glassy – zero knots from the east. The energy is massive (4113), and the conditions are excellent for experienced surfers. This is a big, powerful, groundswell on a reef, so it's going to be a serious session for the crew who can handle it. The afternoon drops to 8ft with a light cross-shore, still a beast.

The very end of the run on Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st sees the swell drop back to 5ft and 3ft, with clean conditions but nothing to write home about.

So, the pick of the crop is hands down Saturday the 22nd morning for a solid, clean, long-period swell, and the absolute standout is Saturday the 29th morning for the big, glassy, groundswell session. That one is for the experts only.

Rusty.

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