Dumbea Rights Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’re looking at a mixed bag for Dumbea Rights over the next couple of weeks. The reef setup here is exposed to the SSW swell, and the optimum direction lines up, so when it’s good, it’s good. But there’s a lot of chop to work through, especially early on. Water temp is sitting at 72°F, which is about average for this time of year, nothing wild there.

The first real chance to paddle out shows up on Wednesday the 27th of August. Thursday morning is the pick of the early window. You’ve got a clean 4ft SSW swell with a 15-second period, light ESE cross-off breeze at 6 mph. That’s a nice, clean groundswell with moderate energy (832). It’s a standout for the first week because the wind’s light and the period is long enough to give those reef walls some shape. Crowds show up sometimes here, so you might have company.

After that, things get messy. From Friday the 28th through to the end of August, it’s a run of poor conditions. Cross-onshore winds pick up, the swell gets lumpy, and you’ve got chop on top. The 30th August Sunday morning sees swell height hitting 6ft, but with a moderate breeze from the SSE, it’s choppy and crumbly. Not worth it.

We hit a bit of a gap in quality until Tuesday the 1st of September. The wind turns cross-off again, but it’s fresh to strong, blowing 22-25 mph. The swell jumps, with 7ft SSW groundswell on the Tuesday afternoon and combined energy cranked up to 3081, so there's plenty of push. But that wind is strong – only for experienced surfers who can handle a bit of a blow. Still, it’s clean, so it’s a call for the brave.

The real standout comes on Friday the 4th of September. You’ve got a 8ft SSW groundswell with a very long 19-second period, combined energy of 4242 – that’s powerful stuff. The wind is near glassy in the afternoon, with a light SSE breeze at 3 mph. This is the best on offer: big, clean, long-period lines wrapping into the reef. This swell is over 8ft, so it’s expert territory only. The period is so long that this spot, being a reef, will hold it well, but expect long sets and a lot of water moving. It’s a promising long-range call.

Sunday the 6th of September morning is glassy with a 5ft SSW swell, and then Monday the 7th morning is also glassy with a 5ft SSW groundswell. Both have excellent conditions for experienced surfers, but the swell is a bit smaller than the Friday standout. Still, clean waves with no wind are a treat.

The last few days of the forecast window, from Tuesday the 8th onward, get big again, with 12ft on the Tuesday afternoon, but the wind turns cross to cross-off with strong breezes, making it lumpy and messy. Not a clean wave.

Overall, Thursday the 27th is your early call for clean, manageable waves, and Friday the 4th of September is the big, clean groundswell for experts. The gaps in between are just waiting out the wind.

Rusty.

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