Deadman's Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what's on the table for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it's a tough stretch for Deadman's. This is a beach and reef setup that needs a clean window, and we're just not getting one for a long while. The water is sitting at 65°F which is a staggering 7°F warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s a very unusual anomaly, making for a weirdly warm wade.

The first week is pretty much a write-off. From Friday the 21st right through to the end of that week, we're dealing with a constant battle of cross-onshore winds and choppy, messy conditions. Swell is small, mostly around 2 ft to 5 ft, but the wind just ruins any chance of a decent wave. The combined energy is weak to moderate (245 to 338), so there's no grunt in the water to overcome the chop. Saturday the 22nd afternoon sees a spike to 5 ft, but it's a short-period windswell (6 seconds) with a moderate cross-onshore, making it a total washout. Sunday the 23rd morning has a 19-second period groundswell (251 energy), but it's only 1 ft and cross-shore; it's a tease. Even the "marginal" calls (like Monday the 24th morning) are still cross-shore with slight chop, nothing you'd paddle out for.

The second week starts to look a bit more promising, but it's not without its problems. The morning of Friday the 28th of August shows a bigger 7 ft swell from the WNW with a period of 8 seconds and a gentle cross-shore. The combined energy here jumps to 1057, which is strong. That's a serious amount of water moving around. However, the report flags it as "marginal," likely due to the wind still being a bit messy. For a spot like Deadman's, 7 ft is getting into expert-only territory, and with that cross-shore, it might be a bit of a battle. Saturday the 29th morning drops back to 3 ft but with a nice 18-second SW groundswell (856 energy) and light cross-shore winds. That's a long period which is fantastic for a point, but at a beach and reef setup, it might break a little too straight. Still, the conditions are clean, so it's the best-looking window in the whole forecast.

The absolute standout is the morning of Tuesday the 1st of September. We get a 5 ft NNW swell, light cross-offshore winds from the SSW at 3 mph, and the report says "clean." The combined energy is 413, which is moderate. That light cross-offshore is a major positive – it will groom the waves beautifully. This is the day to circle. The following Wednesday morning (2nd September) also has clean, light cross-shore winds on a 4 ft swell, but it's a notch down.

The gap between the dismal first week and the better second week is a solid 7 days of no real recommendations. The long-range stuff (first week of Sept) is promising but less certain. The swell directions are mostly WNW, which is a decent match for the break's optimum NW.

So, if you're patient, the morning of September 1st is your best bet. It's the only time the stars align for a truly clean session. The 28th of August morning has the size and power, but the wind is a question mark. For the rest, it's a waiting game.

Rusty.

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