Empty Lots Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let's have a look at what we've got for Empty Lots. It's been a tough run lately, and this forecast doesn't offer much in the way of a proper session. The water’s sitting at 82°F which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so at least you won't need a thick steamer.

Looking straight across the whole 16-day window, the story is mostly the same: cross-shore wind, often a solid breeze, and messy conditions. There's a real block of days from early on where it's just not worth paddling out. The first few days, right up until the middle of September, are mostly poor surf conditions or marginal at best, with waves struggling to get over 2ft.

Saturday the 12th offers up a tiny 2ft swell from the WSW, but it's coming in with a 16-second period – real long-period groundswell. That sort of period can make Empty Lots, being a reef, a bit tricky; it might line up okay but the energy is weak (331). The wind is cross, so it'll be a bit choppy. Not a standout by any stretch.

The situation doesn't improve much through the week. There’s a slight window on Sunday the 13th afternoon with a clean north-northeasterly breeze, but the wave height drops to 1ft and the energy is feeble (151). It's surfable, but you'll be scratching for anything decent.

Then from Monday the 14th onwards, the wind really starts to howl out of the east and east-northeast. The swell energy does climb – into the hundreds and even over a thousand by the 17th and 18th – but with a fresh breeze and lumpy cross-chop, the quality is totally shot. You get a 6ft swell on the 17th afternoon, but it's a short-period windswell from the east with a 10-second period, and the wind is a fresh 35 km/h cross-shore. That's a total mess.

There’s a slight increase in swell size around the 21st and 22nd, hitting 6ft from the east, but again it's short-period (7 to 8 seconds) and battered by a fresh onshore breeze. The energy values are strong (675-861), but it's just not clean reef surfing. A setup like that, with that much wind and lumpy chop, might get a kitesurfer excited, but for a paddle surfer it's a write-off.

The best of a bad bunch looks like Wednesday the 23rd morning. You've got a 6ft east swell with period bumping up to 10 seconds and a lighter cross-onshore breeze. The energy is solid (946), but the wind is still on it. It's only marginal.

Honestly, there's no true standout session here. The wind is relentless, ruining what little swell we get. Most days are blown out or just too small. If you're desperate, keep an eye on that Sunday afternoon the 13th for a clean but tiny wave. Otherwise, this stretch looks better suited for a rest day.

Rusty.

Read more