East Runton Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next 16 days are a real struggle for the East Runton stretch. We’ve got a long, grim gap right at the start — from now through to the 6th of August, there’s nothing worth paddling out for. The first sniff of any surfable waves comes on Friday the 7th of August, and even then, it’s a very ordinary affair.

The water at East Runton is sitting at 66.2°F right now, which is a full 5.0°F above the long-term average — that’s much warmer than usual for this time of year, so at least you won’t be freezing while you’re staring at the flatness.

The only real standout in this whole outlook is the afternoon of Friday the 7th of August. The swell bumps up to 4.6ft out of the NE, with a period of 5 seconds — short period, windswell stuff, not groundswell, so it’ll be a bit crumbly and weak. But here’s the kicker: the wind goes glassy. That’s barely a breath of air, with the wind from the NE at only 3.1 mph. The combined swell energy is 106 (moderate), and the water will be clean. It’s a beach break, and with that short period, it’s not going to hold much shape, but for a beginner-friendly spot that’s fairly consistent, it’s the best we’ve got. The break is fairly exposed to the NNE swell direction, and the optimum swell direction is NNE, so the angle is actually decent. Expect crowds sometimes — it’s a popular spot when it’s clean.

The morning of the 7th is also surfable, with 4.3ft from the NNE and a light SE breeze at 6.2 mph creating a cross-offshore flow, which keeps things clean. Not as good as the glassy arvo, but a solid backup.

After that, it’s back to poor conditions through the 8th to the 14th of August. There’s a pulse of energy on the 12th of August morning with 4.6ft from the N and a 6-second period, combined energy 148 (moderate), and the wind is clean cross-off from the WSW at 18.6 mph — but the wave comment says “poor surf conditions,” so don’t get your hopes up. The 13th of August afternoon has 3.9ft from the N with 6-second period and 109 energy, but it’s cross-on and lumpy from a fresh NNW breeze.

Honestly, if you’re desperate for a paddle, Friday 7th August afternoon is your one window. The rest of the 16 days is a write-off for proper surfing. The setup during the bigger lumpy days from the 4th to the 6th of August, with swell up to 5.6ft and energy spiking to 317, but with strong cross-on winds and a choppy mess — that’s more interesting for the kite crew than for paddle surfers.

Stay patient, mate. It’s a grim run, but it tends not to stay poor forever.

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