Conto Springs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here.

Let’s break down what’s coming for Conto Springs over the next couple of weeks. There’s a heap of swell on the horizon, but the wind is going to be the decider on whether it’s a good day or a washout.

The water temperature is sitting at 68°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – a real bonus, so don’t be surprised if it feels like summer.

We start off with a solid but tricky Sunday, the 2nd of August. Swell is a powerful 10ft from the southwest with a long 13-second period, bringing strong energy (3764). The wind is a cross-shore breeze out of the northeast, which will put a bit of a cross-chop on the face. It’s a marginal call for experienced surfers only.

Monday the 3rd sees the swell drop to 6ft in the morning, but that northerly wind picks up to 20 km/h and goes cross-onshore, making it lumpy and poor by the afternoon.

From Tuesday the 4th through to Saturday the 8th, things get properly heavy. We’re looking at 13ft to 20ft swells with periods up to 18 seconds – that’s a massive amount of energy (reaching over 33310 on the Saturday!). The problem is the wind. Most of this period has strong onshore or cross-onshore winds creating poor, blown-out conditions. The exception is Wednesday the 5th afternoon – the swell is a huge 15ft from the southwest, but the wind drops to a light 10 km/h and goes directly onshore. It’s a wild card, but the raw power is undeniable if you’re keen.

Saturday the 8th of August is the biggest – a massive 20ft southwest groundswell. The wind finally turns offshore and clean out of the south-southwest at 15 km/h. However, at this size, it’s simply too big for the break. Strictly for masochists.

After that, we have a messy period with onshore winds from Sunday the 9th through Monday the 10th. Tuesday the 11th of August brings another proper window. The swell is 15ft to 16ft from the southwest, but the wind turns offshore and cross-offshore from the southeast and east-southeast at 25 to 30 km/h, keeping the waves clean. This is the best time for confident surfers.

Wednesday the 12th is back to being too big at 18ft, even with clean wind.

Now for the true gem of the entire forecast. Look at Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th of August. On Saturday morning, the swell is a very manageable 10ft from the southwest with a long 15-second period. But the wind… it’s dead glassy (5 km/h from the north). That’s as good as it gets – perfect, clean, long lines on the reef. Sunday the 16th is also a beauty – 12ft from the west-southwest with a 10 km/h cross-offshore breeze out of the southwest. Both mornings are flagged as excellent conditions for experienced surfers. These two days are the absolute standouts.

Monday the 17th brings the size back up to 15ft with a shorter 11-second period and a cross-onshore breeze, taking the shine off.

So, to wrap it up: for the big-wave crew, Wednesday the 5th afternoon and Tuesday the 11th are your windows. For everyone wanting clean, solid waves without the extreme size, you cannot miss Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th of August.

Stay safe out there.

Rusty.

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