Damneck Naval Base Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break it down. This stretch is looking mostly flat for a long stretch. There’s nothing worthwhile in the first week – we’re talking about a gap of about 12 days before anything with actual size shows up. The first week is a total bust.

At Damneck Naval Base, the water is sitting at a very warm 80°F with a temperature anomaly of 5°F warmer than normal – that’s a notable difference for this time of year. But the surf? For days it’s barely a ripple. From Friday 11th through to Saturday 26th September, the swell is tiny – mostly around 1ft to 2ft from the southeast or east-southeast, with weak combined energy values (19 to 48) and short periods of 8 to 10 seconds. Winds are mostly onshore or cross-shore, except for a brief window on Sunday 13th September afternoon when it goes glassy and we get a tiny 2ft swell from the southeast, clean and glassy. That’s surfable if you’re bored, but it’s very ordinary – not a standout.

The real change comes in the second week. By Sunday 20th September morning, the swell is up to 4ft from the north-northeast with combined energy at 94 (moderate), but it’s cross-onshore and messy. Sunday afternoon sees 5ft from the northeast with a period of 6 seconds and energy at 183 – still poor conditions with onshore wind.

Monday 21st September has 4ft from the east-northeast, period 7 seconds, energy 203 (moderate, moving to strong). Still cross-onshore and choppy. Not the day.

The best on offer – and I mean the only time you might want to paddle out – is from Tuesday 23rd September onward. By Wednesday 23rd September afternoon, we get 6ft from the east-northeast, period 9 seconds, with combined energy a hefty 883 (very strong wave energy). That’s a solid push with real power. But here’s the rub: the wind is onshore from the east-northeast at 28 mph, so it’ll be messy and lumpy. The swell direction (ENE) is close to the optimum ESE, but not dead on. Still, for experienced surfers looking for size, this is the biggest we get. Thursday 24th holds 4ft from the east, period 9 seconds, energy 225, but again onshore.

For beginners, anything over 5ft is getting too big, and by Wednesday 23rd we are at 5ft to 6ft – that’s expert territory. The combined energy values in the 300–900 range mean proper power in the water. The period of 9 seconds is average, so it’ll be a bit lumpy. If you’re a strong surfer, the bigger days might offer some punch, but it won’t be clean.

Crowds at Damneck Naval Base are listed as “sometimes” – so you might see a few others on the bigger days, but it’s not crowded.

There’s no standout clean day here. If I had to pick one, Wednesday 23rd September afternoon has the most size and energy, but it’s a wind-affected mess. For the patient surfer, Sunday 13th September afternoon with glassy conditions and a clean 2ft is the only time you might actually get a trim, but only if you’re on a longboard.

Overall, it’s a long wait. Don’t expect much for the first 12 days – the real energy shows up late, but it’s not pretty.

Rusty.

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