Depressions Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – the outlook for Depressions over the next 16 days is a real tough one. We’re looking at a long stretch of nothing special, with the first real glimmer of hope not showing up until the middle of the second week. The water is sitting at a very unusual 70°, which is 7° warmer than normal for this time of year, so you’ll be comfortable in a shorty or boardies, but that’s about the only highlight.

The action kicks off Thursday the 6th of August, but it’s not good. Tiny 1ft south-west swell, with a long 13-second period, but it’s blown out by onshore winds. The wave energy is weak (62). That’s a no-go.

Friday the 7th and Saturday the 8th are more of the same – tiny 1ft swell, cross-onshore winds, and weak to moderate energy (203 and 178). The water’s still warm, but the surf is a mess.

The first faint sign of life comes early on Sunday the 9th. A 2ft south-southwest swell with a 15-second period and light cross-onshore winds. Energy is moderate (143). It’s still poor, but the period is long, suggesting better shape – if it were clean. It’s not.

Monday the 10th sees a slight bump in energy to 218 and 253, but still only 2ft of swell and cross-onshore winds. The wind is light, but it’s on the wrong side. This pattern of tiny, onshore or cross-onshore slop holds through to the end of the first week.

Now, for the die-hards. The best of a bad bunch looks to be Saturday the 15th of August. We get a 2ft to 3ft south-southwest swell, with a 16-second period, pushing energy up to a solid 348. Morning winds are light and onshore, but it’s the biggest pulse of the whole outlook. The water is still warm. It’s only rated as marginal, but it’s the only thing that gets a nod. The 3ft size and long period mean it could be trying to wrap in, but it’s a beach break, so that long period might make it a bit fat and straight. Still, if you’re desperate, that’s your window.

Sunday the 16th of August drops back to 2ft, and the wind picks up to 16 mph from the west, making it choppy. Not great. The rest of the second week is a mix of 1ft to 2ft slop, with onshore winds and occasional moderate energy (365 on the 19th), but the quality is just never there.

The final day, Friday the 21st of August, sees a 4ft swell from the west-northwest, but the period is a short, weak 6 to 7 seconds. That’s just windswell and won’t offer any real shape.

In short, we’ve got a 16-day window with no real standout. The only day that might be worth a paddle is Saturday the 15th, but keep your expectations on the floor. It’s a long blank run, so don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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