Depressions Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Looking at the forecast for Depressions over the next 16 days, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s a pretty quiet stretch. There’s a long gap right at the start with nothing worth paddling out for. The first real sniff of something rideable doesn’t show up until Tuesday afternoon the 18th of August, and even then it’s marginal. From there, it’s a whole lot of poor conditions with very few windows that look any good. The water temp is reading 70°F at the start, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – a solid 7°F above average, so you can leave the 4/3 at home.

So, for the first few days – Sunday the 16th right through to Tuesday morning the 18th – don’t bother. The swell is tiny, under 3ft, and the wind is all over the place, mostly onshore or cross-onshore. The wave energy is weak, and the conditions are consistently described as poor. It’s a total write-off.

Tuesday afternoon the 18th of August gives us a tiny glimmer. A 2ft SSW groundswell with a long 16-second period rolls in, and the wind goes light cross-onshore. It’s still labelled as marginal, but it’s the first time the score isn’t a zero. The combined energy bumps up to moderate, but honestly, it’s nothing to get excited about for a paddle.

The rest of the week up to Saturday the 23rd is much of the same – tiny swells, poor conditions, and energy readings mostly weak. On Sunday the 23rd, there’s a 1ft SW swell with a very long period of 19 seconds, but the energy is still weak, and it’s panned as poor. A long-period groundswell like that is better for a reef or point, but here at Depressions it’s just not delivering.

The pattern stays flat and uninspiring right through to Saturday the 29th of August. That morning, we finally get a slight bump. A 2ft SSW swell with a 15-second period shows up, the wind is light offshore from the SW, and the combined energy hits moderate – the best we’ve seen in two weeks. Wind is glassy and clean in the early morning. If you’re desperate, this is your window. Swell direction is SSW, while the spot prefers WSW, so it’s not a perfect match, but it’s the standout of the whole outlook.

Sunday the 30th of August morning and afternoon both get a marginal call with 2-3ft SSW swell and light offshore wind, energy moderate. Again, it’s rideable but nothing special.

Then on Monday the 31st of August afternoon, the swell jumps to 6ft from the WNW with a short 6-second period. The energy is strong, but that short period windswell with light onshore wind will be a messy, lumpy affair. Only for the experienced out there, and even then, it looks more like a kite-surfing setup than a clean paddle session.

Bottom line: Saturday the 29th morning is the pick of the bunch. Clean, glassy, small but rideable. The rest is a long, flat wait.

Rusty

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