Desperations Surf Break

Lat Long: 17.82° S 177.13° E

Desperations Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Issued: 11 am 08 Aug 2026 (local time)

Forecast update in  hr  min

Today's Desperations sea temperature is
25.6° C
0.4° 

Desperations surf forecast is for near shore open water. Breaking waves will often be smaller at less exposed spots.


Desperations surf forecast from 8 Aug 2026:

  • Best quality surf: Saturday 8 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 8s period, SE swell with cross-shore winds.
  • Most powerful swell: Saturday 8 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 8s period, SE swell with 737 kJ wave energy.
  • Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 8 Aug, 3PM (local time) - 7.5ft (2.3m), 8s period with SE swell.

Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Desperations this week:

The surf forecast for Desperations over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 08) at 3PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 2.3m and 8s period with a secondary swell of 1.4m and 10s. Another secondary swell of 0.4m and 12s is also forecast. The wind is predicted to be cross-shore as the swell arrives.

The most powerful waves expected at Desperations in the next 16 days are 2.3m 8s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 08) at 3PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives.

Wave TypeTime (+12) & Date Wave Height & Period
Next good surf (1 star+) 3PM (Sat 8th Aug)7.5ft (2.3m) 8s
Best Surf 3PM (Sat 8th Aug)7.5ft (2.3m) 8s
Most Powerful 3PM (Sat 8th Aug)7.5ft (2.3m) 8s

Table - best surf conditions forecast for Desperations over the next 16 days.


The Lowdown

Alright, let’s get into it.

The next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag for Desperations. We’ve got some real size coming early on, but it’s going to be too much of a good thing for this spot. Then it backs right off, and we’re in for a flat spell before things start to build again towards the end. The water’s sitting right around 78 degrees, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

We kick things off this Saturday morning, the 8th. There’s some proper swell in the water, pushing 8ft from the southeast, with a moderate cross-shore breeze. The wave energy is strong, hitting 1656. The problem is, it’s just too big for this reef break. It’s going to be a washing machine. The afternoon doesn't get much better, still over 8ft and lumpy. If you’re not an expert, give it a miss.

Sunday the 9th is a total reset. The swell drops right off to 4ft from the SSE with an 11-second period. The energy is weak-moderate at 395. Sunday morning is glassy, dead calm, and clean. It’s small, but it's the cleanest it’s going to be for a few days. This is about as good as the small stuff gets.

Monday the 10th stays small, around 3-4ft, but the period jumps up to 15-16 seconds. That long-period groundswell might be a bit too straight for a beach break, but this being a reef, it could still offer up some shape. The morning is clean, but it's still marginal. Tuesday the 11th is smaller again, around 3ft, but there’s a nice cross-offshore wind in the morning and a 12-second period. It’ll be clean, but tiny. The energy is still weak at 629.

From Wednesday the 12th through to Friday the 14th, it’s a proper flat spell. We’re looking at ankle-biters, 1ft to 2ft, with some long 16-19 second periods. The energy drops way down, bottoming out around 204. Some glassy moments, sure, but there’s nothing to get excited about. This is a gap of several days with no real surf on offer.

Saturday the 15th sees the wind pick up out of the ESE at 15-18 mph, and it’s rainy and chopped up. The swell is still tiny, so it’s a complete write-off. Sunday the 16th brings a bit more size, 5-5ft from the SW, and the energy jumps back up to 1210. The morning is still a bit lumpy, but the afternoon cleans right up with a light cross-offshore breeze and a 12-second period. It’s pushing head-high and a bit of power behind it. This is looking like the best of the bunch so far.

Now, for the real standout. Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th. The swell fills in properly. We’re talking 6ft to 7ft from the SSW, with a long 17-22 second period. The energy is strong, hitting 3242. The winds are a bit messy on Monday, but Tuesday afternoon, the 18th, is the one. The wind drops to glass, the swell is a solid 7ft, and the energy is pumping at 2382. This is a serious groundswell, big and powerful. It’s going to be a heavy, expert-only session. This is the standout. The long period and the size will make it a real freight train.

After that, the swell backs off a touch but stays fun. Wednesday the 19th has a glassy afternoon with 5ft swell and a 14-second period. Energy is moderate at 921. Thursday the 20th sees the wind swing offshore and pick up, but the swell is down to 4-4ft. Friday the 21st is interesting. It’s small in the morning, 3ft, but the afternoon sees a pulse of 6ft from the SSW with a 14-second period, and the wind is blowing fresh offshore from the NNE. That’s clean, offshore, and a decent size. It’s a good option, definitely a solid runner-up.

The final weekend, Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd, gets a bit messy again. The wind swings onshore and picks up, and the swell gets chopped up. It’s not worth the drive.

So, to sum it up. The standout is Tuesday afternoon, the 18th – big, clean, and powerful, experts only. The next best is probably Sunday the 16th afternoon, which offers up a clean, solid head-high wave. And keep an eye on Friday the 21st afternoon for some clean offshore conditions. The rest is either too big, too small, or too windy.

Rusty out.

Short Range Forecast

Mostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Mon afternoon, min 20°C on Sat morning). Wind will be generally light.

Days 4-6 Weather Summary

Mostly dry. Warm (max 24°C on Tue afternoon, min 22°C on Tue morning). Wind will be generally light.

Saturday
8
Sunday
9
Monday
10
Tuesday
11
Wednesday
12
Thursday
13
Friday
14
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
AM
PM
Night
Rating
(10 max)
!
!
1
1
0
2
2
2
2
3
2
0
2
2
1
2
2
2
1
1
2
Swell
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Height Map
Wave
Height (m)
Direction
Period (s)
2.4
SE
9
2.3
SE
8
1.7
ESE
8
1.2
SSE
11
1.1
SSE
11
0.9
SSE
17
1
S
16
1.2
SSE
15
1.1
SSE
13
0.8
SSE
12
0.9
SSE
14
0.9
SSE
12
0.6
SSE
11
0.5
SW
15
0.5
SW
14
0.4
SSW
19
0.4
SW
18
0.5
SW
18
0.5
SW
16
0.4
SW
20
0.5
SW
18
Wave Graph
Metric surfscale
Energy kJ
945
737
381
319
270
499
503
612
402
172
371
224
102
104
103
148
98
150
125
125
159
Wind (km/h)
20
ESE
5
W
25
ESE
10
ESE
15
WSW
15
ESE
10
ESE
10
SSW
10
ESE
10
E
10
W
10
SSE
10
E
10
NNW
5
SE
5
NE
5
NE
5
NW
10
NE
25
NNE
20
NNE
Wind State
cross
cross
cross
cross
cross-on
cross
cross
on
cross
cross-off
cross
cross-on
cross-off
cross-off
cross-on
glassy
glassy
glassy
off
off
off
High Tide
2:25PM1.29m
2:29AM1.59m
3:32PM1.36m
3:31AM1.66m
4:31PM1.45m
4:29AM1.74m
5:24PM1.54m
5:22AM1.79m
6:13PM1.62m
6:13AM1.81m
6:59PM1.67m
7:02AM1.78m
7:43PM1.69m
Low Tide
8:08PM0.52m
9:12AM0.21m
9:16PM0.47m
10:11AM0.11m
10:17PM0.40m
11:05AM0.03m
11:13PM0.32m
11:54AM-0.03m
00:05AM0.27m
12:40PM-0.03m
00:55AM0.24m
1:24PM0.00m
1:44AM0.23m
part cloud
part cloud
cloud
cloud
cloud
part cloud
part cloud
part cloud
clear
clear
clear
clear
part cloud
clear
part cloud
part cloud
clear
part cloud
cloud
cloud
light rain
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunrise">Sunrise</span>
6:35
6:33
6:33
6:33
6:33
6:31
6:31
<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.weather_tables.sunset">Sunset</span>
5:59
5:59
5:59
6:00
6:00
6:00
6:00
 mm
5
Temp °C
22
23
22
22
23
23
23
24
24
23
24
24
23
24
24
24
24
24
24
24
24
Feels °C
22
23
19
23
21
23
24
25
26
25
25
27
25
26
26
27
27
27
23
22
23
  • Map Icons:
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  • Live Wave Height (m)
  • Live Wind Speed (km/h)
  • Surf Rating (10 Max)
  • Ocean Swells (m)
  • Wind Speed (km/h)
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Information about the Desperations Surf forecast

The above surf forecast table for Desperations provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Desperations can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Desperations surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Desperations) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).

Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Desperations may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.

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