Desperations Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, listen up, crew. Your mate Rusty here, and we've got a tricky one on the cards for Desperations. This is a reef break, exposed to the SSW swell, and it's pretty consistent, but man, the weather's not playing nice for a good chunk of the outlook. The water's sitting at a pretty average 78°F for this time of year, so no surprises there.

First up, we're looking at a bit of a flat start. The first wave action we get is on Thursday the 10th, but it's a write-off. We're talking a messy 4ft SW swell with a moderate to fresh cross-onshore wind trashing it. The wave energy is moderate, but the quality is just poor. Friday the 11th isn't much better; it drops down to a tiny 3ft SSW swell, still with that nasty cross-onshore wind. It's a skunking, plain and simple.

Then we hit a serious gap. Saturday the 12th sees the swell jump up, but it's a disaster. The swell gets big, 5ft to 5ft, but with a short period of 20 seconds? Wait, that's not right. Period's at 20 seconds, which is long period, but it's buried under a fresh to strong cross-onshore breeze. The combined energy is huge, but it's all for nothing. That spot is going to be a washing machine. Forget it for a paddle, it's looking more like a kite session if you're game.

Sunday the 13th is where it gets cruel. The swell pumps up to a solid 10ft SSW groundswell with a 17-second period. The combined swell energy is massive. But the wind is still a fresh cross-shore in the morning, and the swell is way too big for this break. It's an expert-only zone, and even then, the conditions are going to be punishing. The afternoon is a complete loss with cross-onshore winds.

This pattern carries on. Monday the 14th and Tuesday the 15th see the swell hanging around 8ft to 8ft, still with that very long 16-18 second period. The cross-shore winds are moderate to light at times, but the size is just too much for Desperations to handle consistently.

The standout window – if you can call it that – actually comes right at the end. Thursday the 24th of September. The morning looks clean. We've got a 7ft SSW swell with a 12-second period, but the wind goes light and cross-offshore. It's described as "clean". That's the one. The combined energy is solid, and the wind and tide are finally favorable. The only catch is that the swell is right on the edge for this break, but that's the best you're going to get.

For the rest of the second week, it's a mixed bag of marginal surf, onshore winds, and messy conditions. The middle of September is looking like a write-off for any decent waves at Desperations.

The call: If you're an expert and you can handle a big, clean wall, hold out for the morning of Thursday the 24th. It's the only time in this 16-day window where the stars almost align. Everything else is a blown-out, too-big, or flat mess.

Rusty.

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