Devonport Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and here’s your local surf outlook.

Well, I gotta be straight with you – this stretch of the calendar looks pretty grim for any real surfing around here. We’ve got one break on offer, Devonport Rivermouth, and it just doesn’t fire up properly over the next 16 days. There’s a long, frustrating gap right from the start with nothing worth paddling out for until we scrape something marginal on Sunday the 10th of August. Even then, it’s only a small chance, so don’t get your hopes up.

Looking at the overall pattern, the combined swell energy is weak and often barely registers – you’ll see values in the low double digits and triple digits only when a bump appears, but the quality is just not there. The water temperature sits at an average 55°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first real, albeit tiny, window comes on Monday morning, the 10th of August. You’ve got a tiny 2 ft swell from the NE with a period of 6 seconds – that’s short-period, weak stuff. The combined energy is only 85, so there’s hardly any power. The wind is a light S cross-off, so the surface will be clean, but the waves are just too small and gutless to get excited about. The afternoon improves a fraction with a glassy, calm sea and a 3 ft NE swell at 9 seconds, giving a combined energy of 170, which is moderate but still very ordinary. It’s surfable, but only just, and for a beginner it might be okay if you’re desperate. The break is inconsistent and rarely delivers, so this is as good as it gets.

After that, we slide into a dead zone. Tuesday the 11th through to the end of the month is mostly a write-off. You get a few pulses of bigger swell – like Wednesday the 12th with a 6 ft NW swell at 8 seconds (energy 370 – moderate) – but it’s paired with fresh WSW cross-off winds of 19 mph, so it’s messy and not worth it. The period is short, so the waves are crumbly and weak for the size. Thursday the 13th sees a long-period 16-second NW groundswell at a tiny 1 ft (energy 126), but it’s just too small to do anything with, and longer period swells like that are better suited to points or reefs, not this rivermouth setup. The rest of the days up to the 20th are tiny 1.0 ft dribble with glassy conditions but zero power.

Now, there is a slight uptick around Friday the 21st and Saturday the 22nd of August, but it’s not good for paddle surfing. On Friday the 21st, you get a 5 ft NW swell at 6 seconds (energy 238), but it’s onshore NE wind, making it choppy and blown out. Saturday the 22nd morning brings onshore NNE at 19 mph with a 3 ft N swell – that’s just messy. But Saturday afternoon? The wind swings SW at 16 mph offshore, and you get a 5 ft N swell at 6 seconds (energy 159). That’s clean offshore wind, but the swell is still short-period and weak. If you’re an expert, you might find a few lumpy lines, but it’s not a standout by any stretch. For a beginner, that 5 ft is too big, and the period is too short for any real ride.

Overall, there’s no true standout period here. The only half-decent chance is that Monday the 10th with glassy conditions, but it’s tiny and inconsistent. If you’re a kite surfer, the stronger wind days like the 12th and 22nd look more interesting than paddle surfing. For the rest of us, it’s a waiting game. Forecasts can change, and it won’t stay this poor forever, but right now, leave your board at home.

Rusty

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