Chirimena Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for our local stretch.

To be honest, looking at the whole 16-day window, it's a pretty grim run of surf. We're looking at a long stretch of small, weak, and choppy conditions. The first real chance to even think about paddling out doesn't come until the morning of Sunday, August 16th, and even then it's a marginal call. That's a long wait with no real recommendations.

The water is sitting at 82°F, which is pretty much what you'd expect for this time of year, nothing unusual there.

Let's start with that first glimmer of hope. Sunday morning, August 16th, at Chirimena. We've got a 4 ft swell from the NE, and the wind is a light, clean cross-offshore from the SE. That's the best wind we'll see for a while, and it should clean things up nicely. The swell energy is moderate, clocking in at 300, and the period is a short 9 seconds, so it'll be a bit fat and crumbly, but for a beach-and-reef setup like this, it's rideable. It's only a "marginal" call, but it's the standout of the whole period if you just want to get wet.

The afternoon of that same Sunday gets a bit bigger, with the swell pushing 6 ft and the combined energy jumping to 471 (moderate), but the wind swings cross-shore, putting a bit of chop on it. That 6 ft is getting into the territory where it's not ideal for beginners, but still fine for the average surfer.

The pattern after that is pretty much a repeat. The mornings offer the best chances, with light winds and a bit of clean surf. Monday morning, August 17th, sees a similar setup with a 5 ft ENE swell (220 energy, weak to moderate) and light cross-shore winds. Tuesday morning, August 18th, is another clean one with a 5 ft ENE swell, though the period is a short 6 seconds, so it'll be weak and mushy. The energy is down to 175 (weak).

Wednesday morning, August 19th, same story: 4 ft ENE swell, clean winds, combined energy of 145 (weak). Sunday, August 23rd, morning shows a bit of a pulse, with a 5 ft ENE swell and energy of 266 (moderate), but the period is still only 7 seconds. Wednesday, August 26th, morning has a similar 5 ft ENE swell with 235 energy (moderate).

But look, for the rest of the days, it's just a story of onshore winds, cross-chop, and sub-5 ft slop. The afternoons are a write-off with moderate cross-onshore breezes turning the surf into a mess. The swell period hardly ever gets above 8 seconds, which means it's mostly weak, wind-driven junk. For a place like Chirimena, which is a beach-and-reef setup, this kind of surf is more interesting for the kite surfers than the paddle surfers, especially on those afternoons with a solid 12 mph breeze.

If you're desperate, the Sunday and Monday mornings are your best bet, but don't expect much. The rest of the forecast is a long, blank stretch of poor conditions. It's one of those times when the forecast can change, but right now, it's looking like a frustrating couple of weeks.

Rusty.

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