Duckpool Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming our way.

Honestly, looking at this stretch, it’s a pretty bleak picture for the next couple of weeks at Duckpool Bay. We’ve got a long wait ahead, over a week of messy, onshore conditions that just aren’t worth paddling out for. The wind is almost constantly cross-onshore, chewing up whatever swell is out there. The water is sitting at 66°F, which is much warmer than average for this time of year, but that’s small comfort when the waves are a write-off.

There are a couple of very small windows right at the tail end of the forecast that might give a tiny glimmer of hope, but you’d be scraping the barrel. For the vast majority of the time, you’re looking at lumpy, choppy conditions and poor surf.

Tuesday 8th September starts things off poor. We’ve got a 7ft west-northwest swell, period of 9 seconds, but that strong 22 mph cross-onshore wind ruins it completely. The combined energy is moderate (693), but with that wind it’s just a mess.

Thursday 10th September afternoon sees another bump of swell – 7ft from the west-southwest with a short 7 second period. Again, a fresh cross-onshore wind at 22 mph makes it unsurfable.

Sunday 13th September is interesting for a moment. The morning shows a 5ft swell from the west with a 10-second period and offshore wind. But the conditions are still described as ‘poor surf conditions’ and combined energy is moderate (421). It’s the closest we get to clean in the first half.

The first real standout, if you can call it that, comes late in the game.

Thursday 17th September morning: This is about the best we get. We’ve got glassy wind – a major positive for clean conditions – and a small 2ft west swell. The period is a quality 10 seconds. The combined energy is weak (67), so don’t expect any power, but it’s clean and surfable. This is a true “if you’re desperate” session.

Then again, on Saturday 19th September morning, there’s a small 2ft west swell with a 10-second period and a light cross-offshore breeze, making it clean. Combined energy is weak (124), but it’s better than the rest.

Monday 21st September morning: Another tiny 2ft west swell with glassy conditions. Weak energy (40), but glassy is glassy.

Finally, Wednesday 23rd September morning brings a very interesting long-period groundswell – 2ft from the west with a 16-second period! That’s a very long, long-period swell. Combined energy is moderate (206). The wind is a moderate cross-offshore breeze, so it should be clean. At a beach setup like Duckpool, a swell that long can break very straight, making it tricky, but it’s the only real bit of character in the whole forecast. The size is absolutely tiny though, so it’s really only for the keenest, most patient longboarders.

In short: Don’t hold your breath for the next week and a half. The only moments worth even thinking about are those few clean mornings right at the end of the 16-day window. It’s a cruel run, but that’s how it goes sometimes.

Rusty.

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