Dracula Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’ve got one spot on the menu for the next couple of weeks, and it’s a proper reef setup – Dracula. This place is advanced only, very consistent, exposed to the west swell, and it can get crowded sometimes. The water temp is sitting at 71°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first few days are a bit of a write-off, to be honest. Monday the 24th through to the end of the week is mostly cross-shore wind and choppy conditions. The swell is there, hitting 5ft to 6ft from the NW with a moderate 11-second period, so there’s some energy (combined energy values between 650 and 858), but the wind is just messing it up. It’s not clean, and the comments are all “poor” or “marginal.” Not worth paddling out for.

Now, Saturday the 29th morning is where it starts to get interesting. We’ve got a glassy morning with the wind dropping to nothing, and the swell is a solid 7ft from the NNW with an 11-second period. That’s a decent groundswell, and the combined energy is up at 926 – that’s moderate to strong energy. The comment says “expect very good surf conditions,” which is the best we see in the whole run. This is the standout. It’s a big wave for a reef, well over 5ft, so this is for experienced surfers only. The glassy wind will make it look like a mirror. Crowds are possible here, so get there early.

Sunday the 30th morning is still good, with another glassy morning and 5ft swell from the NNW, though the period drops to 9 seconds, so a bit less grunt. The energy is lower at 372. Still worth a session if you missed Saturday.

Monday the 31st and Tuesday the 1st of September keep the glassy mornings alive, with 5ft to 5ft swell from the NNW. The period is short at 7 to 8 seconds, so it’s more of a windswell, but the clean conditions will make it fun for the advanced crew. The energy is weak to moderate (200 to 281).

Wednesday the 2nd of September morning is another highlight. We’ve got a cross-offshore wind from the NNE at 6 mph, which is clean, and the swell is 6ft from the NNW with an 8-second period. The combined energy is 598 – moderate. The comment says “expect very good surf conditions.” This is the second best window. The wind is slightly offshore, which will hold the wave face up nicely. Again, this is a big wave for a reef, so keep it for the experts.

After that, the surf turns a bit patchy. Thursday the 3rd is marginal in the morning. Friday the 4th of September looks good with glassy conditions, but the swell drops to 4ft to 5ft and the energy is low (211 to 256). It’s clean, but small.

Then we hit a dead spot for a couple of days. Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th are mostly onshore or cross-on, with poor conditions. The swell is there on Sunday morning at 5ft from the NNW with a short 6-second period, and the wind is offshore from the east at 6 mph, which is clean. The comment says “expect good surf conditions,” but the period is so short it’s going to be a bit crumbly and weak. The energy is low at 243. Not a standout.

The real wildcard is Monday the 7th of September afternoon. We get a 20-second period swell from the WNW, but it’s only 3ft and the wind is cross-on. The energy is massive at 914, but the size is tiny. It’s a long-period groundswell that will be better at point breaks and reefs, but with the onshore wind, it’s a marginal call. Then Tuesday the 8th of September morning is glassy with a 4ft, 15-second period swell from the WNW. The energy is 872 – strong. The comment says “expect very good surf conditions.” This is a long-period groundswell, so it’ll be clean and powerful, but it’s small. For a reef, that could actually be perfect for the advanced crew if the tide lines up. This is a promising but less certain one that far out.

Overall, the clear winner is Saturday the 29th morning with that glassy 7ft groundswell. The second best is Wednesday the 2nd of September morning with the clean cross-offshore wind and 6ft swell. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or too far out to be sure of.

Rusty.

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