Deadman's Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's get into it.

Right now, things are looking pretty flat and average at Deadman's, and it's going to stay that way for a while. The water temp is sitting at 57°, which is about what you'd expect for this time of year, so nothing weird going on there. The first bit of the window is all about weak, inconsistent energy with a lot of "marginal" labels, so don't get your hopes up for the next week or so.

We're looking at a long stretch of small, weak surf from Monday the 17th through to Saturday the 22nd. Swell is tiny, mostly around 2 ft to 3 ft from the SSW, with a long period of 14 to 15 seconds. That long period is a double-edged sword here at Deadman's, a reef setup, so it should wrap in decently, but the size is just too small to get excited. The winds stay light and cross-shore for most of it, so it'll be clean, but with such weak combined energy (in the 300 to 457 range), you're basically bobbling around. It's poor quality and the best I can say is it's a good time to practice your duck dive or just chill on the beach.

The one real standout that might offer a bit of fun is Saturday afternoon, August 22nd. The wind goes glassy from the NNW, and we get a pulse of 5 ft from the NW, but the period is a short 6 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 380. That short period means it’ll be a bit crumbly and less powerful, but with glassy conditions, it could be a playful little session if you're not expecting perfection.

Moving into Sunday the 23rd, it stays small with 4 ft to 5 ft from the NW, and glassy conditions on the afternoon of the 23rd. Again, small but clean for a goof-off.

Then there's a real gap with almost nothing until we get to the tail end of the month. From Monday the 24th to Friday the 28th of August, the swell drops right off again – back to 2 ft to 3 ft from the SW. The wind gets a bit messy with cross-onshore and even some onshore, so it's a write-off.

Here's where it gets interesting for the end of the period. Look at the Sunday, August 30th afternoon and Monday, August 31st. This is easily the best on offer. We've got solid 4 ft to 4 ft of SSW groundswell with a 16-second period, and the wind goes totally glassy (NNW, 5 km/h). The combined energy is strong, hitting 748 on Sunday afternoon and 638 on Monday morning. This is proper, clean Deadman's. The long period from the SSW matches the optimum swell direction for the reef, so the waves should have some real shape and punch. It's small enough for just about everyone, but the quality is there. For the best window, I'd be on the Sunday afternoon session or the Monday morning glass-off.

Further out, Tuesday September 1st afternoon is interesting – a bit bigger at 5 ft from the NW, with glassy wind. The period is super short (7 seconds), which makes it a junky, short-period windswell, so not the same quality as the 30th/31st, but it’ll be clean. Watch out for crowds at Deadman's on a day like that.

So, overall, the first two weeks are a total washout. The real action is in the final few days of August and the very start of September. That Sunday 30th through Monday 31st window is your best bet. It's far off, so keep an eye on the forecast, but the signs are good.

Stay salty,
Rusty.

Read more