Costellos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, mate, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it’s a pretty grim stretch ahead. We’ve got a long, quiet run with barely any surf to speak of until the very end of the period. The first few days are a total write-off, with tiny, weak swell and mostly average to poor conditions. There’s a solid gap of over a week with nothing worthwhile. The only real glimmer of light arrives right at the tail end, around Thursday the 27th of August, and even then, it’s not a classic.

Let’s start with the only spot worth mentioning: Costellos (reef). The water is sitting at 71° – that’s a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you might not need the thickest wetsuit.

The opening days from Wednesday the 12th right through to nearly the end of the month are all showing poor surf. The swell is tiny, often under 2 ft, coming from the SE with short periods – just a weak, unorganised mess. Combined energy values are mostly in the low double digits (12 to 48), which is very weak. The wind is all over the place, but there’s nothing that makes it worth paddling out. It’s a real desert.

Then, on Thursday the 27th of August, we get a bit of a pulse. The morning shows a bump to 5 ft swell from the ESE with a period of 8 seconds, and combined energy jumps to 344, which is moderate. The wind is a cross-onshore from the NNE at 9 mph, so it’ll be a bit bumpy. The afternoon sees 5 ft swell from the same direction, period still 8 seconds, energy at 299, but the wind goes full onshore from the ESE at 9 mph, which is not your friend. This is the only time in the whole outlook that the swell cracks over 5 ft, but it’s far from ideal. It’s more of a novelty than a standout. The waves will be messy and hard to read, and with the swell being mostly short-period, it won’t have much power. The reef at Costellos should handle it better than a beach, but the onshore wind will kill the quality.

So, to be honest, this is a two-week period best spent doing other things. The only real chance for a wave is that Thursday the 27th, but don’t expect a classic. It’s more of a “if you’re desperate” situation. The rest is dead flat or close to it. For the way it’s looking, I’d say it’s more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on that Thursday, with the onshore wind and some size.

Stay patient, and keep an eye on the forecasts – it can’t stay this poor forever.

Rusty

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