Deadman's Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Deadman's. It’s a reef break that's exposed to the SW, so it needs a solid push from that direction to really light up. It’s inconsistent here, so when it does show, you’ve got to be on it.

The window kicks off on Monday the 10th of August, and straight away we’ve got a decent pulse of NW swell pushing through, around 7ft. The period is a short 8 seconds, so it’s a bit of a windswell, not the cleanest groundswell. The water’s sitting at 57°F, which is pretty much bang on average for the time of year, so nothing unusual there. The combined energy is strong at 1167, but the wind is cross-shore from the WNW at 9 mph, so it’ll have a bit of chop on it. Not a write-off, but not the cleanest.

Through Monday afternoon and into Tuesday the 11th, the swell drops back to 5ft to 6ft, still from the NW with that short 8 to 9 second period. The wind stays cross-shore, so it’s still a bit of a messy affair. The energy drops into the moderate range (660 and 584). It’s surfable, but nothing to get the heart racing.

Wednesday the 12th starts pretty average with a moderate cross-shore breeze at 12 mph making a mess of the 5ft NW swell. But then Wednesday afternoon, the wind swings to a cross-offshore from the NNW at 9 mph, and conditions clean right up. The swell sits at 6ft with moderate energy (580). This is a solid look for Deadman's, but remember this spot is inconsistent, so you might be waiting for the sets. Still, with that cross-offshore wind, it’s the best window of this first week.

Thursday the 13th and Friday the 14th see the swell drop further, with light cross-onshore winds making for rippled, marginal waves. The swell goes from 5ft down to 2ft. A really small, weak SSW groundswell tries to show up on Friday afternoon with a very long 19-second period and only 2ft, but the energy is still moderate (478). Too small and too straight for this reef, really.

Now, the standout of the whole run arrives on Saturday the 15th of August. Saturday afternoon, the wind goes glassy – dead calm. That SSW groundswell is still only 3ft, but with a long 16-second period, it’ll have some push and shape. The combined energy is moderate (570). For an inconsistent reef, getting glassy conditions with a long-period groundswell is a rare treat. This is the one to circle on the calendar. The crowd situation here is described as "often," so expect company if it's working.

Sunday the 16th and into Monday the 17th, the swell hangs around the 3ft to 4ft mark, same long-period SSW, but the wind turns cross-onshore, putting a ripple in it. It’s a step down from Saturday.

There’s a gap of a few days where it’s all pretty marginal. Then on Tuesday the 18th of August, the afternoon session goes glassy again with a 3ft SSW swell at 15 seconds. Moderate energy (553). Another good window for the patient surfer. Wednesday the 19th afternoon also turns glassy with a 3ft, 15-second swell. These are your best bets for the second week, but the swell is small.

After that, it fades into very small, weak swell through to the 24th of August. On the 24th afternoon, a new pulse of WNW swell at 4ft with a 10-second period shows up, but with cross-shore wind, it’s not the same quality as the glassy SSW windows.

Overall, the best of the best is Saturday the 15th of August afternoon. If you can’t get in the water then, make the call on Tuesday the 18th or Wednesday the 19th for those glassy afternoon sessions.

Rusty.

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