Crab Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a proper look at what the next couple of weeks are throwing at us here at Crab Island.

The honest truth is, we’ve got a bit of a rough patch to sit through before it cleans up. The first week and a half is pretty much written off. It’s not a total washout, but the conditions are just plain ugly. We’ve got strong winds and messy surf for days. It’s one of those stretches where you’re better off leaving the boards in the shed.

We start off on Saturday, September 12th with a solid 8ft W swell, but there’s a strong 22 mph cross-onshore wind making a mess of it. The wave energy is pumping (1293), but it’s poor. A bit of a drop in size and wind for Sunday, but it's still cross-onshore and choppy. Monday the 14th sees the swell drop right off.

Things stay in this frustrating cycle of decent size but terrible wind all the way through to the end of the week. By Thursday the 17th, the swell is back up around 8ft from the W, with a period of 10 seconds, and the energy is getting serious (1319), but it’s accompanied by a strong 25 mph onshore wind. That trend continues into the next weekend. The 20th of September looks particularly nasty with an 12ft swell getting hammered by a 28 mph cross-onshore – that’s a washing machine.

For anyone into kite surfing, that Thursday the 17th through to Sunday the 20th would be your window. The wind is strong and cross-onshore, with solid swell, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a no-go.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. After that long, frustrating gap, we finally get our little window. Monday morning, September 21st, is our first real standout. The swell drops back to a clean 4ft from the WNW, but the wind switches to a light cross-offshore from the SE. The water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year at 61°, nothing too wild. That morning session should be clean and fun. Tuesday the 22nd is the absolute pick of the bunch. Tuesday morning starts with a 4ft WNW groundswell, and the wind is a glassy 3 mph. It goes near-perfect in the afternoon with glassy conditions. This is the session you wait for. The period is 11-12 seconds, so it’s a proper groundswell with good shape, but it might get a little straight at a beach break. For a reef like Crab Island, it should be lined up nicely. Crowds can be an issue here, so get out early.

We get a couple more clean mornings on the 25th with offshore winds and a small, long-period swell, but between those two golden days and the end of the period, the wind swings around and it gets lumpy again. The last few days of the month show a massive spike in energy (2786) with a long period swell, but it’s pinned by gale-force winds. A real shame.

So, to sum it up: don’t even bother for the first 9 days. Tuesday the 22nd is the one to circle. That’s your winner. The morning of the 21st is also a good bet, and the morning of the 25th is worth a look if you need a fix. It’s a long wait, but it comes good.

Rusty.

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