Crab Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next 16 days.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – this is a tough stretch. The whole 16-day window is looking pretty quiet. There’s a long gap from the start, right through to Tuesday the 12th of August, where there’s really nothing worth paddling out for. We’re looking at tiny swell, mostly short-period stuff, and a lot of onshore or cross-onshore winds messing things up. The water’s a touch warmer than normal at 62°F, which is a little unusual for this time of year, but it won’t make up for the lack of waves.

The only faint glimmer I can see is on the morning of Wednesday the 12th of August at Crab Island (Clare). It’s a reef break, pretty exposed, so it needs the right swell. We’re looking at a 3ft swell from the WSW, with a period of 8 seconds, and a south-southeast wind just 9 mph, blowing cross-offshore. That’ll clean things up nicely. The wave energy is moderate at 197, so there’s a bit of push behind it. The commentary says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” which is about as optimistic as it gets for this run. The swell direction is a bit off from the optimum W, but with the wind playing nice, it might be your only chance. It’s a fairly consistent spot, but expect a few others with the same idea, as it’s often crowded.

Honestly, the rest of the period is a write-off. There’s a lot of small, weak swell and strong onshore winds. By the 15th and 16th of August, the swell gets a bit bigger, hitting 3ft to 4ft from the west, but the wind is howling from the west at 22 to 28 mph. That’s a messy, lumpy onshore mess. For a reef setup like this, it’s going to be blown out and ugly. Might be more interesting for the kite surfers than us paddle guys.

So, keep your expectations low. If you’re desperate, the morning of the 12th is your best bet, but don’t hold your breath for much else.

Rusty.

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