East Runton Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here.

Look, I’m not going to sugarcoat it—this 16-day stretch is about as flat as a lake for most of the run. There’s one genuine moment in there, but you’ve got to be patient and pick your window. The water’s sitting at about 66°F at East Runton, which is 4°F warmer than usual for this time of year—that’s a real anomaly, and if the surf ever showed up, you’d be surfing in a bath.

The run starts on Saturday, 29 August, with nothing—0.2m of swell out of the NNE, period 7 seconds, combined energy of 6. The afternoon is no better, 0.3m from the NNW, period 6 seconds, energy 12. Sunday, 30 August, gets to 0.6m from the north, but the period drops to 5 seconds and energy is just 15. It’s not surf, it’s a ripple.

Monday, 31 August, is worse—0.3m in the morning and nothing at all by lunchtime. Tuesday, 01 September, sees 0.6m again, period 6 seconds, energy 29—small but at least it’s something. Wednesday, 02 September, crashes back to 0.2m, period 6 seconds, energy 3. This is lean.

Now, on Thursday, 03 September, the period stretches out—11 seconds in the morning, 10 seconds in the afternoon—but the size stays at 0.3m. You’ve got better wave shape on paper, but no push behind it. Energy is 25–27. Friday, 04 September, brings strong wind—45 km/h, then 55 km/h—with 0.6–0.7m of swell. That’s going to be messy cross-off slop.

Then Saturday, 05 September, finally gives us a pulse: 1.2m from the NNW, period 8 seconds, energy 174 in the morning. That’s the first real size of the run, but the cross-shore wind at 25 km/h adds a chop. The afternoon backs off to 0.8m, period 6 seconds, energy 54. Sunday, 06 September, drops back to 0.4m, period 7 seconds, energy 17. Monday, 07 September, has cross-on wind from the ENE at 15–20 km/h, with 1.0–1.1m from the NW, but the period is a terrible 5 seconds and energy is 50. That’s chop, not waves.

Tuesday, 08 September, is similar—1.0m in the morning, period 4 seconds, energy 53—then eases to 0.7m, period 6 seconds, energy 67 in the afternoon, with lighter wind. Still poor.

Then comes Wednesday, 09 September. This is your day. Morning is glassy—no wind at all—with 1.6m of swell from the NNW, period 6 seconds, and energy jumping to 184. It’s not big, and the period is short so it’ll be soft, but it’s clean, and it’s the best combination of size and conditions in the entire fortnight. If you’re going to paddle out, this is the session. The afternoon is ruined by cross-shore wind at 20 km/h, 1.7m but choppy, energy 311.

Thursday, 10 September, keeps 1.0–1.1m from the north, period 8 seconds, energy 140–152, but the wind is fresh at 35 km/h, cross-off or offshore. It’ll be clean-ish but still nothing special.

Then it fades. Friday, 11 September, drops to 0.5–0.6m, period 7 seconds, energy 27–49. Saturday, 12 September, goes to 0.3m, period 10 seconds, energy 16–18. Sunday, 13 September, is basically flat—0.2m, period 10 seconds, energy 8–11. The window closes without a bang.

So here’s the takeaway: that Wednesday, 09 September, morning is the only real shot you’ve got. Everything else is either too small, too short-period, or too wind-affected to bother with. East Runton is a fairly consistent spot, so this lean spell won’t last forever, but for the next couple of weeks you’re mostly watching the water and wishing.

Stay salty,
Rusty

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