Devonport Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, mate, Rusty here with a look at what’s comin’ up for Devonport Rivermouth. Gotta be straight with you – this stretch is lookin’ pretty sad for a good long while. We’ve got a 16-day window, but there's a big dry spell at the start.

The first week and a bit is basically a write-off. From Monday the 27th of July right through to almost the end of the first week of August, there’s just nothin’ worth paddlin’ out for. We’re talkin’ tiny scraps of swell, mostly under 2ft, with weak wave energy – you’re seein’ numbers like 34, 53, even down to single digits. The wind is messy, often cross or cross-onshore, and the wave comment across nearly every session is “poor surf conditions.” It’s gonna be a flat, lumpy, frustrating stretch. Only the odd morning on Wednesday the 29th offers a clean-ish look, but with a 2ft, 17-second groundswell the energy is just too weak (303). That long period will mean long lulls and not enough push for this river mouth setup.

There’s a bit of a pulse around Sunday the 2nd of August – we see the swell jump to 4ft in the morning and 6ft in the afternoon from the NNW, period around 5-6 seconds. But that’s a short-period windswell, and with cross-onshore winds, the wave comment is still “poor surf conditions.” The combined energy is moderate (109-254), but messy wind kills it.

The real standout doesn’t arrive until Monday the 10th of August. Monday afternoon is where things start to turn – a 8ft NNW swell, 8-second period, and the wind swings to a clean cross-offshore from the WSW. The energy jumps to 722 – that’s solid, punchy power. The wave comment says “expect very good surf conditions.” That’s our highlight for the whole forecast. Tuesday the 11th of August morning brings even more size – 10ft from the NNW – but that’s gettin’ into expert-only territory, especially for a river mouth. The period is still short at 8 seconds, so it’ll be a bit dumpy and powerful. The wind stays clean though.

By Tuesday afternoon on the 11th, the forecast shows an 12ft NNW swell with a period of 9 seconds and combined energy of 1698 – that’s very strong wave energy. The wave comment is positive, but it flat-out warns that the swell is predicted to be too big for this break. For a point/river setup like Devonport Rivermouth, that kind of size will likely close out or be extremely dangerous. Only the absolute top-tier experts should even look at it, and even then, it’s a caveat.

So, to wrap it up: the first 12 days or so are a bust. Monday the 10th of August afternoon is your best chance for a proper surf – clean, punchy, manageable size. If you’re a confident surfer, the Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning windows look the goods, but watch the size. The water temp is sittin’ around 56°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year.

Keep your eyes on the forecasts, but for now, this river mouth is mostly a no-go. Rusty out.

Read more