City Beach groyne Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's take a good, hard look at what's coming down the pipe at City Beach groyne. I'll be honest with you, this stretch of the next couple of weeks has some real teeth to it, and a lot of it ain't going to be pretty for paddle surfing.

The overall pattern here is all about size and wind. We’ve got a lot of powerful, long-period groundswell from the west-southwest lining up, but the problem is the wind. For the first week or so, that strong cross-onshore and onshore wind is going to chew this place up. The combined wave energy is massive, with values often in the thousands, ranging from 2088 all the way up to a whopping 8464 on the 26th, so there’s no shortage of power, but it's going to be messy, lumpy, and poor surf conditions. This is a beach and groyne setup, and with those brutal winds and solid swell, it looks far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing for most of the run.

The water temp is about average for the time of year. No major anomalies to report there.

We don't even get a sniff of a recommendation until Tuesday the 18th of August. The Monday before is a total write-off with a 25 mph cross-onshore and a 7 ft swell. The data gives it a zero.

Alright, now for the standouts. There are only a couple of windows where this place might work, and they're for the brave or the very experienced. The first real window of opportunity is Thursday the 20th of August, early. The morning is showing glassy conditions – a huge positive – with a solid 8 ft swell from the WSW, with a very long 16-second period. This is a powerful groundswell. The combined energy is 3639. The forecast is for "excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers." Now, that size and power will make it a serious session, and it’s not for beginners. It's over 8 feet, which is expert territory. The long period could make it break a bit straight across the beach, but with glassy conditions and that much energy, the set waves will be proper. Later on Thursday, the wind swings and it gets choppy again.

Then, Friday the 21st of August morning is another shot. Another glassy start, a slightly smaller 7 ft from the WSW, still a long 15-second period. The energy is a touch lower at 2150, but still moderate. "Excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers" again. Clean, powerful, but sizeable. The crowds here are "often," so expect plenty of company for these clean, quality windows.

Saturday the 22nd of August morning is the last of the really good ones. It’s clean with a light cross-offshore breeze from the NNE, and the swell has dropped to a more manageable 6 ft from the WSW. The period is still a solid 15 seconds. The combined energy is 1671. This is probably the most user-friendly of the good windows, but it's still a powerful groundswell.

After that, the signs are grim right through to the end of the month. We get a period from the 23rd to the 28th of August where the conditions are consistently rated as "poor" or "marginal," with strong, lumpy cross-onshore winds and lumpy seas. The 25th of August sees an 12 ft swell but with a messy cross-chop. The 26th is a proper write-off with a 15 ft swell and a fresh cross-onshore. That 15 ft combined with 19 mph winds is a no-go. It’s a kite surfers’ paradise, but not for us.

There is a small "marginal" window on Saturday the 29th of August with a 7-8 ft swell, but the winds are cross or cross-onshore and gusty. It might be a long shot if the wind lays down. Then Sunday the 30th of August starts with an 8 ft and a gentle cross-onshore, but it gets messy again in the afternoon.

The very end of the outlook, the 31st of August and 1st of September, looks like it's blowing a gale again with a massive, messy swell. No good.

If I had to pick the true standout, it's the glassy, powerful sessions on Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st of August. They will be the best on offer, but only for experienced surfers. If you’re not comfortable in the 7 ft-plus range with a long period, watch it from the beach. Saturday the 22nd is the better call for a slightly smaller, clean session. The rest of it? Keep the board in the car, or bring a big kite.

Rusty.

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