Depot Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Depot Beach for the next couple of weeks.

The first few days are a bit of a write-off, to be honest. There’s surf, but it’s messy and not worth getting excited about. Sunday the 23rd kicks off with small, weak 2ft south swell in the morning, but it’s cross-onshore and the energy is really low (245). The afternoon gets a little bigger at 3ft but it’s choppy and no good. Monday stays poor, and Tuesday is just as flat and crossed-up. The first real pulse of energy we see is Wednesday afternoon, but it’s still only marginal with a short 8-second period, and the wind is cross-onshore. Thursday morning the swell holds around 5ft, but the direction is onshore and it’s still not clean. Honestly, through to Thursday, you’re better off doing something else – it’s just not coming together.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Friday the 28th, we finally get a bit of a window. The morning sees a 4ft south-southeast swell, a light 3 mph cross-offshore wind, and the water is clean. It’s not huge, but it’s the first decent surf of the run. The energy is moderate (400), and it looks like it’ll be a fun, grovelly session. But the standout – and I mean the real standout – is Saturday morning the 29th. The swell jumps to 6ft from the south, the wind drops to absolutely nothing, glassy as a lake. The energy is strong at 700. This is the pick of the first week, no doubt. It’ll be clean, peaky, and there’s potential for some proper waves.

The following week gets bigger, but also more complicated. Sunday morning the 30th brings a solid 6ft south swell, with moderate energy (1236), but it’s cross-shore and the period is a short 8 seconds, so it could be a bit lumpy. By the afternoon, the swell drops to 3ft, but the period stretches right out to a long 17 seconds – that’s proper groundswell. That long period stuff at a beach break can get a bit walled and straight, so keep that in mind. Monday looks okay, moderate 5ft swell with a 12-second period, but the wind is a bit all over the place. By early September, the surf starts to fade. The first week of September sees smaller swells, mostly under 3ft, with light offshore winds and clean conditions, but no real punch. The energy drops right off.

Looking further out, there’s a little bump on the 5th of September. Saturday afternoon shows a 6ft northeast swell with a clean cross-offshore wind, but the period is a tiny 5 seconds – that’s just windswell and going to be bumpy and unorganized. Not worth a special trip.

So, to sum it up: the first week is mostly a write-off, but get on it for Friday morning the 28th for a clean warm-up, and definitely be in the water Saturday morning the 29th – that’s the best combination of size, swell, and glassy conditions on offer. The second week has less size and less energy, so Saturday the 29th remains the standout. The water’s running about 2° warmer than average for this time of year, so it’ll be comfortable.

Keep an eye on that long-period swell on Sunday the 30th – it’s got energy, but it might be better down the point if it gets too straight. Right now, it’s all about that Saturday morning session.

Alright, that’s the report. Get amongst it when you can.

Rusty.

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