Crab Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's cookin' at Crab Island over the next couple of weeks.

Well, I gotta be straight with you – this is a tough run to call a surf outlook. The whole 16-day window is a bit of a dud for us. We're looking at a long, painful stretch of poor surf conditions from start to finish. There's a real gap here with no solid options, so don't be holding your breath for any magic sessions.

The first couple of days, starting from the 29th of August, are flat and weak. We're talking tiny dribbles of 0.7 ft from the WNW, with a short period of 7 seconds. The combined energy is barely a whisper at (4). Not worth paddling out for.

We get a little bump in size around the 30th and 31st of August, with the swell pushing up to 5 ft from the W. But the wind is all wrong – mostly onshore or cross-onshore, ranging from a moderate breeze to a fresh breeze. It creates choppy, lumpy conditions that just ruin any chance of a decent wave. The energy ramps up to a moderate (424) by Monday, but it's all for nothing.

As we roll into September, the swell sticks around, getting bigger. In fact, by the 4th of September, we see a significant long-period groundswell hitting 7 ft from the W with a period of 13 seconds, pushing the combined energy up to a strong (1306). But here's the kicker – the wind is hammering straight onshore at 22 mph. For a reef break like Crab Island, that's game over. That long-period swell would be incredible if it were clean, but with that wind, it's going to be a complete washing machine. The setup looks far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. This is really only for experts if they're feeling masochistic, and only if the conditions miraculously line up, which they don't.

The rest of the period into the second week is more of the same. The swell drops off, pops up again, but is always paired with onshore or strong cross-onshore winds. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so nothing unusual there, but you'll be fighting a messy, blown-out surface. There are glimmers of clean conditions on the morning of the 2nd of September, with a light cross-offshore breeze, but the swell is only 4 ft with a short period of 7 seconds – not enough punch to make it worthwhile.

Honestly, don't bother. This is a blank run for the area. Just keep an eye on the charts because it tends not to stay this poor for long. The forecasts can change.

Rusty.

Read more