Crab Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk about the surf outlook for Crab Island.

Alright, straight up: this is a grim run. There’s not a single decent surf session on the cards in the entire 16-day window. We’ve got a big stretch of junk ahead, starting from Tuesday the 18th of August and dragging all the way through to Wednesday the 2nd of September with nothing worth paddling out for.

The first few days are a write-off—Tuesday the 18th has a 5ft to 6ft west swell, but it’s onshore junk with a moderate breeze, and the combined energy sits at 302 to 482—moderate energy, but completely wasted. Wednesday the 19th pumps up to 7ft west swell with 10-second period and the combined energy jumps to 782 to 814 (strong), but again, onshore wind and “poor surf conditions” across the board. Thursday the 20th drops a bit to 6ft, then 4ft, but cross-shore winds keep it lumpy. By Friday the 21st, it’s fading fast—2ft and 2ft, energy dropping to 90 and 76 (weak), and it only gets smaller through the weekend. Sunday the 23rd does go glassy clean with only 5 km/h northeast wind, a cross-offshore, but the swell is tiny—1.0ft—barely a ripple. That’s about as close as we get to anything surfable, and it’s nothing.

There’s a little pulse of 5ft on Tuesday the 25th from the WSW with a 9-second period, and the cross-offshore southeast wind gives clean conditions, but the energy is only 377 (moderate) and it’s marked “poor surf conditions.” Not worth the drive. Thursday the 27th of August sees a brief clean window with 3ft west swell and east offshore wind—energy at 162 (weak)—and the comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” That’s a 1 out of 10. Doesn’t get much better than that, and that’s still rubbish.

Then from Friday the 28th onward it’s back to onshore gales—50 km/h winds, tiny waves, and “poor surf conditions.” The swell builds again into September—8ft on Tuesday the 1st from the WNW, combined energy at 640 (strong)—but it’s hammered by cross-onshore winds and lumpy mess. By Wednesday the 2nd, 7ft west swell with onshore wind and 668 energy—another dud.

Water temperature at the start is 63°, which is a touch warmer than normal for the time of year. But who’s getting in?

No standouts. No best on offer. Just 16 days of nothing. When conditions are this consistently poor, it’s not unusual for this area—sometimes you gotta wait for the charts to turn. Keep an eye on the long-range, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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