Dreamtime Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve gotta be straight with you – we’re staring down the barrel of a pretty grim stretch for Dreamtime. The first solid surf doesn’t show up until Monday afternoon the 24th of August, and even then, it’s more of a whimper than a roar. For the most part, this 16-day window is a long, frustrating wait with very little to get excited about. There’s a couple of brief windows where it might be rideable, but nothing that’s going to have you calling in sick to work.

Starting off on Monday afternoon the 24th, we’ve got a weak 3ft ENE swell pushing in at a short 8 seconds. The combined energy is a low 187, so it’s not packing much punch. The wind is light and cross-onshore from the east at 6 mph, which is messing up the surface. It’s poor surf, to be honest – not worth paddling out for.

Tuesday morning the 25th of August is a little better. The swell climbs to 4ft from the same ENE direction, period still 8 seconds. The wind swings to a light north at 6 mph, making it cross-offshore and clean. The water temp is sitting at 69°, which is about average for this time of year, nothing unusual. The combined energy is 196 – still weak. It’s surfable, but only just. You might get a few grovelly ones, but it’s very ordinary. Tuesday afternoon the wind picks up and turns cross-shore, so it gets messy again.

Wednesday morning the 26th of August sees a glimmer of hope. The swell drops to 3ft from the ENE, with a period of 7 seconds, but the wind goes offshore from the WNW at 9 mph. That’s a clean, glassy surface. The combined energy is only 117, so it’s weak, but the offshore wind is a major positive. This is probably the best of a bad bunch in the first week. Still, it’s small and short-period, so it’s going to be a bit crumbly on the face. Wednesday afternoon brings a risk of thunderstorms and the wind dies, but the swell fades.

From Thursday the 27th of August all the way through to the end of the month, it’s a brutal run. The swell stays small, between 2ft and 5ft, but the wind is mostly cross-shore or onshore, often from the south or southeast. The combined energy climbs to 438 on Sunday the 30th of August afternoon, but that’s because the period is a bit longer at 9 seconds and the swell is 5ft. The problem is the wind is cross-onshore at 9 mph, making it choppy and ugly. The conditions are poor across the board. There’s a brief window on Sunday the 30th morning where the swell reaches 5ft from the SE, but it’s a short 6-second period and cross-onshore wind – that’s a messy, blown-out wall of mush.

The first few days of September don’t offer much relief. Monday the 31st of August and Tuesday the 1st of September see onshore winds and weak, short-period swell. The water is still around 69°, but the wind is just killing it.

Wednesday morning the 2nd of September is another small highlight. The swell is 4ft from the east at 7 seconds, with a light cross-offshore wind from the NNW at 6 mph. The combined energy is 177, and the surface is clean. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. Still, it’s the cleanest window in the second week. After that, the wind gets stronger and the swell just dribbles away.

By Friday the 4th of September, the swell has dropped to 1ft from the east with a 10-second period. The combined energy is a pathetic 44. The wind goes glassy in the morning from the north at 3 mph, but the swell is tiny. It’s not worth the paddle. The rest of the weekend and into the next week is more of the same – small, weak, and poorly aligned.

The standout session, if you can call it that, is Wednesday morning the 26th of August. The offshore wind from the WNW at 9 mph will give you clean, glassy conditions on the 3ft ENE swell. It’s small, but it’s the only time the wind is truly your friend. The other small window is Wednesday morning the 2nd of September, with a clean surface and 4ft east swell, but it’s still weak.

Crowds at Dreamtime can be a problem – it’s listed as “sometimes” busy – but with surf this poor, you’ll likely have the place to yourself. The break is exposed to the swell, and the optimum direction is SE, but we’re getting ENE and E swells mostly, so it’s not firing on all cylinders.

Overall, it’s a dry spell. The forecast is reliable for the near-term, but the long-range stuff doesn’t look promising either. There’s a long gap of poor surf from the 27th of August through to the 1st of September, and then another quiet patch from the 4th onwards. Keep your eye on the charts, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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