Coastguard Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let me be straight with you – it’s a tough stretch ahead for the area. We’ve got a solid 16-day window on the board, but the first surf worth mentioning doesn’t really show up until the tail end of the run. There’s a long gap of nothing but flat, poor surf conditions from the start of the forecast right through the middle of September. The only break we’ve got on the radar is Coastguard Beach, and it’s a real struggle.

For the first week and a half, from Wednesday the 9th right through to around Saturday the 19th of September, you’re staring at a blank wall. Most days show tiny, weak waves – often around 0.3 ft to 1.0 ft – with junk periods and poor surf quality. The combined energy is mostly sitting in the single digits or low double digits, meaning there’s hardly any power in the water. Wind is all over the shop, but it’s rarely doing you a favour for any kind of decent shape. Honestly, it’s more of a lake than a surf break.

There’s a little flicker of life on the 19th of September. Saturday afternoon shows a jump to 4 ft swell from the NE with a period of 6 seconds and a combined energy of 117 – that’s moderate energy, but it’s not clean. The wind is a strong cross-onshore at 19 mph, making it lumpy and messy. This is a beach break, so with that kind of wind and swell, it’s looking more like a kite-surfing session than a paddle-surfing one. Not for beginners either, as it’s over 5 ft and sloppy.

Then on the 21st of September (Monday morning), we get a solid pulse: 3 ft of ENE swell, period 6 seconds, but the combined energy jumps to 89 in the morning and then 191 in the afternoon – that’s strong wave energy. The wind is cross-off at 19 mph in the morning, keeping it clean, but the swell period is short, so the waves will be a bit weak and crumbly. The afternoon turns lumpy with a cross-shore wind. This is the best of a very average bunch, but it’s still poor surf conditions across the board. The crowd factor at Coastguard Beach is only “sometimes” busy, so at least you’ll have company but not a circus.

The last few days, from the 22nd to the 24th, drop back down to tiny, weak swell with no real energy. The 24th of September has a very long period swell of 19 seconds from the SE, but it’s only 0.3 ft – that’s a ghost. No power to ride.

So, the standout here is the afternoon of the 19th and the morning of the 21st of September, but even then, it’s a gamble. For a beginner, the 4 ft on the 19th is too big and messy; for experts, the 3 ft on the 21st is barely worth suiting up for. The break is exposed to the SE, and the optimum swell direction is SE, so the little pulses we get are on the right angle, but the timing and wind are just off.

Bottom line: a long, dry spell with only a couple of marginal windows. Keep your eye on that 21st of September morning – it’s the best we’ve got, but it’s not pretty. Forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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