Depot Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Depot Beach. It’s a stretch of sand that’s pretty exposed to the south-east, and it’s got a fair bit of potential, but the next couple weeks are a mixed bag. We’ve got some clean mornings to hunt for, but also some proper size that’ll shut the place down. The water’s sitting at 63°, which is right about where it should be for this time of year.

The run starts off slow. Wednesday afternoon is a complete write-off – tiny 1ft of south swell and poor conditions. Thursday morning (the 6th) is a bit better: the wind is glassy, and there’s a little 3ft south swell rolling in, but it’s short-period and weak, with the combined energy only at 87. It’s surfable, but you’ll be scratching for anything decent. That afternoon the wind swings onshore and chops it up.

Friday the 7th has another clean window in the morning – light westerly, glassy, and 2ft of south-southeast swell. The energy picks up slightly to 111, but it’s still pretty ordinary. Saturday the 8th is a write-off again – the morning has a tiny 1ft east-northeast swell, and then the wind howls from the northeast at 15 mph in the afternoon, making it a choppy mess.

Sunday the 9th is a bit of a tease. The morning is clean, with a light cross-offshore breeze and 2ft of east-northeast swell. But the energy is up a bit at 120, which is good to see. The afternoon gets blown out by a moderate cross-shore.

The first real standout comes on Monday the 10th. The wind goes fresh offshore from the west, and the swell jumps up to 8ft out of the northeast. The combined energy hits 989 – that’s moderate to strong, and it’s got some punch. The afternoon stays clean with 6ft but the energy drops to 655. This is the first proper day, and with that offshore wind, the place should be firing. That’s a big 8ft though, so it’s getting into expert territory for sure.

Tuesday the 11th has a good morning – light offshore, 3ft of south swell, and the energy is at 288. Clean, lined-up, good for a few. The afternoon goes cross-offshore and drops off.

The middle of the week is quiet again. Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th are on the smaller side. Thursday the 13th has a decent pulse of south-southwest swell at 4ft with a long period of 13 seconds – that’s proper groundswell. Combined energy is a solid 474. The morning is clean and it looks fun, but that long period at a beach break can make it a bit straight. Still, probably the pick of the week.

Friday the 14th – keep your eye on the morning. The wind goes glassy with a light westerly, and there’s a nice 5ft of south swell, with the period at 10 seconds and energy at 481. That’s clean, solid surf. It’s big enough to be fun for experienced surfers, but not out of control.

After that, it drops off again. The weekend of the 15th and 16th is small and onshore, nothing to write home about.

Now, for the long-range call – and this is a promise, not a guarantee – the 17th of August looks like a big one. Monday morning the wind is dead calm, glassy, and there’s a solid 8ft of south swell on the way. The combined energy is a strong 793. That’s big, powerful surf. But it gets worse/better: by the afternoon, the swell is predicted to hit 10ft, with the energy going into the thousands (2184). That’s a serious amount of water moving. The issue is, that’s too big for this break. It’s only for experts, and even then, it’s likely going to be a washing machine. Tuesday the 18th holds that 10ft size, and Wednesday the 19th still has a 10ft swell with a 12-second period, but the winds go cross-onshore in the afternoon and spoil it. The energy on those days is massive – over 2000 – but the size just shuts the place down. They are calling it too big for the break. Not the time for beginners, that’s for sure.

The tail end of the window, the 20th, sees the swell drop to a more manageable 6ft with south-east direction and a cross-offshore wind, but the energy is fading. It’s a better prospect, but nothing like the earlier days.

So, overall, the best bet has to be Monday the 10th – that’s the one with the offshore wind and solid size. And for a cleaner, slightly smaller option, Friday the 14th morning looks like the pick. The really big stuff in the second week is a spectacle, but it’s a boat ramp, not a surfboard, at that size. Keep an eye on it, but don’t get caught inside.

Stay salty.

Rusty.

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