Darbys (Wilsons Promontory) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right off the bat, the swell window’s looking pretty bleak for Darbys (Wilsons Promontory) for the rest of this week. That southerly groundswell we’ve had is fading fast, and the wind’s all over the shop, mostly cross-onshore and chopping things up. Water temp’s sitting at a normal 56°F, so you’ll want the hood and booties regardless.

Monday morning isn’t worth stressing about. We’ve got a weak 3ft southwest swell with a long 14-second period, but the 15 km/h easterly offshore breeze will keep it clean. It’s surfable if you’re desperate for a paddle, but it’s pretty ordinary. The afternoon clean-up call looks a touch better on paper with 3ft and a 17-second period, but it’s still small.

Tuesday brings similar energy, with a 2ft southwest swell. The morning is clean with a light ENE offshore, but it’s gutless. Don’t get too excited. Wednesday the swell drops right off to 2ft and the wind goes a bit sketchy; light rain and a northerly offshore aren’t the saviour we need. The energy is weak, with the combined energy only hitting 97 on the Wednesday morning.

Then we hit the wall. From Thursday the 20th through to Tuesday the 26th, it’s poor. The swell mixes up a bit but the wind goes straight into the cross-onshore and onshore range, with a fresh 25-30 km/h punch on some days. It’s messy, lumpy, and choppy. The swell builds a little on Friday the 21st, around 5ft, but with that westerly cross-onshore, it’ll be a washing machine. On the 22nd and 23rd you’ve got moderate to fresh cross-onshore winds and a proper windswell, and it’s just not for paddle surfing. If you’ve got a kite, it might be more interesting. It’s a rough stretch.

The good news? There’s a taste of light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s a long way off. Finally, on Wednesday the 27th, we get a clean-up. The wind swings back to a gentle ENE offshore and 1ft of long-period southwest swell. It’s tiny, still ordinary, but clean. Thursday and Friday the 28th stay similar, small and clean with a light E/ENE breeze.

But here’s the real standout, the one you’ve been waiting for. Saturday the 29th of August. This is the day. We see a healthy jump in swell, coming from the W at 6ft in the morning, building to a solid 8ft WSW by the afternoon. The energy readings are strong, hitting 804 in the morning and peaking at 1283 by the arvo. And the wind, oh the wind, it’s a moderate offshore easterly, keeping it glassy and clean. This is the pick of the whole period, no question. For a more experienced crew, this is going to be firing. The period is a shorter 9-10 seconds, so it’ll be a bit more pushy and less defined, but with that offshore wind, Darbys will have some proper shape. This is expert territory at that size, so leave the foamies at home.

Sunday the 30th still has good energy in the morning, 6ft from the west with a clean offshore, but it backs off significantly into the afternoon. Monday the 31st looks interesting too; the morning is ordinary, but the afternoon brings in 5ft of WSW swell with a light offshore breeze, and the energy jumps to 880. It’s another good window.

So, if you got the time, sit tight through the slop. The weekend of the 29th-31st is where the magic is, but it’s far out, so treat it as promising and don’t book the time off just yet. Get on it.

Rusty

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