Crab Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

First up, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a rough start. We’re looking at a solid stretch of quiet, messy conditions for most of the next week or so. There’s pretty much nothing worthwhile until we hit the first few days of September. The swell direction is all over the place, wind is trash, and most of the time the combined energy is pitiful – you’ll see weak numbers like 23 and 11 in the early days. It’s just not happening.

The one and only break worth talking about here is Crab Island. It’s a reef setup, fairly consistent once it gets going, and it likes an optimum swell from the SW. But the whole 16-day window is mostly a bust, with a long gap of zero solid recommendations until September 4th.

The action finally begins to stir on the morning of Friday the 4th of September. We get a clean, cross-off breeze from the WNW, and the swell creeps up to a tiny 3 ft from the W. The energy is still weak (102), but the conditions are clean. It’s surfable, but nothing to get worked up about.

Then, Saturday the 5th of September is the real standout – the best on offer. The morning shows a 8 ft swell from the WSW with a period of 9 seconds, and a clean cross-off wind from the WNW. The combined energy jumps to a solid 938, and by the afternoon it hits a whopping 1451. This is the biggest, most powerful swell in the window, and the wind stays clean. Keep in mind, 8 ft is pushing into expert territory, so it’s not for the beginners. The crowds at Crab Island can sometimes show up, so be ready for that.

After that, Sunday the 6th starts with a 8 ft swell but the wind swings cross-on, making it choppy. The rest of the week goes downhill again with strong, messy winds and poor conditions, despite some decent-sized swells (5 ft to 7 ft) and long periods (11-12 seconds). Those long periods are great for energy, but the onshore wind just ruins it.

The last little glimmer comes on Wednesday the 9th of September. The morning brings a clean, cross-off breeze from the NW and a 4 ft swell from the WSW with a very long 11-second period. The energy is 454 – solid, but manageable. It’s a good, clean option, but by then we’re so far out it’s less certain.

So, bottom line: you’re waiting until the 5th of September for the one big, clean day. It’s a long dry spell, but that Saturday looks like the one to circle. The water temp is a wild 68°F, which is a massive 7°F warmer than normal – that’s very unusual for this time of year, so you’ll be surfing in boardshorts and a rashie no problem.

Rusty.

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