Dumbea Rights Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for us at Dumbea Rights.

This is a classic reef set-up that needs a solid south-southwest groundswell, and we do have some energy coming, but the wind is the main character in this story for the first week-and-a-half. The combined wave energy is modest at best to start (805), and the wind is howling from the east-southeast, giving us a clean but cross-off look that makes it tricky. The water is sitting at 72°, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year—nothing unusual there.

Right, for the first few days from Friday the 21st through Monday the 24th, it's all pretty ordinary. Swell is there, between 1ft and 6ft, but it’s short-period windswell, mostly 8 seconds, and the wind is a fresh to strong breeze (22 to 25 mph). It’s clean, sure, but the surf is just poor. Not worth paddling out.

We get a big jump in energy on Tuesday the 25th, with a combined swell energy hitting 1736—that's moderate and moving in the right direction. The swell turns to that sweet SSW groundswell at 6ft with a long 15-second period. That's the kind of groundswell that wraps around reefs brilliantly, but the problem is that cross-off wind is still a stiff 25 mph. It's marginal at best. The same story runs through Wednesday the 26th—energy stays strong (1173), but you’re fighting that breeze.

Now, Thursday the 27th is the standout. The wind drops right off to a glassy 3 mph from the southeast. The swell is 4ft from the SSW with a very long 15 to 16-second period. The combined energy is about 1016 to 1103, which is solid. This is what we live for at a reef like Dumbea Rights—long-period groundswell, no wind, head-high+ surf. It’s going to be clean, powerful, and set up perfectly. Keep in mind, at 4ft it’s not huge, so experienced surfers will love it, but beginners might find the long-period energy and the reef a bit much. Crowds are possible here, so expect a few locals out.

After that, it drops back off. Friday the 28th through to Sunday the 30th sees the swell fade back under 3ft, with onshore or cross-shore breezes kicking up a chop. Combined energy drops to around 330-470. Not much doing.

We’ve got a bit of a lull with only marginal or poor conditions right through Monday the 1st of September. Then, on Tuesday the 2nd of September, we get another spike—a big one. The swell jumps to 7ft from the SSW with a 17-second period and combined energy of 3252. That is strong, powerful groundswell. But at 8ft Wednesday afternoon (energy 4008), this is too big for most. It's solidly in the expert-only zone, and still with that strong cross-off wind (22 mph). It’s clean, but it’s heavy, and the reef will be testing. Not the best for a relaxed session.

Thursday the 3rd of September offers a bit of a reprieve with a 5ft SSW swell, a 12-second period, and a light east wind (6 mph). The combined energy is 1219, so still moderate, and the conditions are excellent for experienced surfers. That’s a good window if the earlier bigger stuff is too much.

The final few days, from Friday the 4th to Saturday the 5th of September, bring another pulse of big SSW groundswell, up to 8ft with a 19-second period and energy over 4000. But by then the wind is cross-shore to cross-on from the southeast, blowing 12-19 mph. It’s not going to be clean; it’ll be lumpy and cross-chop, and with that size, it’s a rough one.

So, the pick of the period is without doubt Thursday the 27th of August. Glassy, long-period SSW groundswell, head-high and clean. The other real opportunity is Thursday the 3rd of September, but that’s a week and a half out, so keep an eye on it. Everything else is either blown out, too big with wind, or just too small.

Stay safe out there.

Rusty

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