Depressions Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve scanned the charts for the next couple of weeks, and I gotta be straight with you: it’s a quiet stretch for Depressions. The ocean’s gonna be mostly doing a whole lot of nothing for us. Don’t get me wrong, there’s always a pulse, but it’s a weak one. We’re looking at a long run of small, unremarkable swells and plenty of onshore wind messing things up. It’s going to be a test of patience more than anything.

The first week is a write-off for any decent wave. We start Saturday the 5th with a tiny 2ft SW swell, but the wind is cross-onshore, and the water is 69°F, which is a massive 6°F warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s proper unusual, feels like a warm bath out there. The energy is only weak, around 464, and the report says it’s marginal at best. The next few days are much the same, with knee-high slop and light cross-shore breezes. There’s a slight bump in size around Tuesday the 8th, but the wind picks up out of the west at 12 mph, making it choppy and lumpy. The energy is still only moderate, hovering around the 390-530 mark. Honestly, you’d be fighting a losing battle.

We do see a bit more push in the swell on Thursday the 10th, with 4ft to 4ft from the SW, and the energy jumps up to 653. But it’s all for nothing as the wind swings hard to the WNW and hits 19 mph. That’s fresh and lumpy, and it’s turning the ocean into a mess. Not good for a wave ride, that’s for sure. This might be more interesting for the kite crew than us paddle surfers.

After that, it just fades away again. The swell drops back to under 3ft, and the wind stays cross-onshore. We go through a long, flat patch from the 12th through the 16th. The swell height might touch 4ft on the 13th and 15th, but it’s that weird short-period WNW wind swell, only 5 seconds, which just doesn’t have any push or shape. The energy levels are barely scraping 100-200, which is weak, weak, weak.

Now, looking further out into the second week, there are a couple of glimmers but they’re not for the faint-hearted. On Thursday the 17th, there’s a 6ft swell on the afternoon, but it’s from the WNW with a 6-second period and cross-onshore wind. That’s basically a close-out soup, and only for the most desperate. The real promise is the SW groundswell that’s lurking. A long-period 18-22 second swell is showing on the charts for the 14th, 17th, and 19th. This is the kind of clean energy we want, and by the 19th of September, we’ve got 2ft of SW swell with an 18-second period and just light cross-on winds. The energy is picking up, around 325. It’s still small, but this is the only time in the whole forecast that looks like it could produce a clean, glassy wave. It’s a long way out, so we call it promising but less certain. Don't hold your breath, but it’s something to dream about.

So, there you have it. No standouts, no glory days in this run. The first week is a total bust, and the second week is a gamble on a distant groundswell. Keep your board waxed and your wetsuit close, but it might be time to tune up your car or fix that fin you’ve been meaning to. The ocean will turn back on eventually, but it’s not looking like this week.

Rusty, out.

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