Depot Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, mate, here’s the lowdown for the next couple of weeks on the coast. Gotta be honest, the first chunk of time is pretty dead, but there are a couple of windows that could get your blood pumping.

The first run of the forecast starts slow. Thursday, August 20, has some knee-to-thigh high swell about 0.9m from the NE with a short, weak 6-second period and very low wave energy (75). Winds are light cross-off from the NNW, so it’s clean, but it’s just plain ordinary. Later on Thursday afternoon, swell picks up just a tad to 1.3m, still NE and short period, with moderate energy (165). Wind stays cross-off. Rideable, but not worth rushing.

Friday, August 21, shapes up as the best little day of this early stretch. Swell stays small at 0.9m from the NE, 7-second period, weak energy (69). But the wind story is good: Friday morning we get offshore wind out of the west at 15 mph, so it’s clean. Then Friday afternoon it gets glassy – calm with just a slight breeze from the ENE at 5 mph (89 weak energy). That’s your window for some clean, small waves. Keep your hopes small.

From Saturday, August 22, through the middle of the next week, the surf is mostly flat to knee-high with lousy wind. Not worth talking about.

Now, here’s where it gets lively. Sunday, August 30, brings a real pulse of NE swell: 2.1m in the morning building to 2.5m in the afternoon. Wave energy goes very strong (828 then 791). Period is 8 seconds, so average. But the size is solid. Winds are cross-shore, not ideal, so it might be a bit lumpy. This is definitely expert-level stuff.

Monday, August 31, is the standout for big-wave fans. Morning swell hits 3.0m from the ENE at 9 seconds, with light cross-off wind from the NW at 10 mph and clean conditions. Wave energy is massive at 1246. The thing is, the forecast straight up says it’s too big for Depot Beach. Only for the heavy hitters.

Tuesday, September 1, is even bigger: 4.0m from the ENE, 10-second period, offshore wind from the WNW at 20 mph, and wave energy at a monstrous 3402 in the morning. Again, too big for this spot, but it’s huge and clean if you’re a charger.

Wednesday and Thursday, September 2 and 3, the swell backs off into the overhead range but still carries moderate to strong energy, with periods around 9-10 seconds. Winds get a bit more onshore, so the quality drops.

Friday, September 4, brings a more friendly day. Swell drops to 1.5m from the SSE, 8-second period, and glassy calm in the morning with moderate wave energy (378). That’s the most user-friendly, clean day for the average surfer in the entire forecast. Winds hold light and favourable into the afternoon.

So here’s the bottom line: the first week is nearly flat. The sneak peek is the glassy Friday afternoon on August 21 for some tiny clean waves. The big story is the heavy, clean swell around August 31 to September 1, but that’s expert-only and borderline too big for the break. The best call for most of us is that glassy Friday morning on September 4.

*Rusty*

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