Empty Lots Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, it's Rusty here. Look, I'll level with you – this forecast window is a rough one for Empty Lots. It's a reef break that's advanced-level only, and it's fairly consistent, but the conditions just don't line up for a good paddle session. The water temp is sitting at 81°F, which is about average for this time of year, so at least you won't be freezing while you're getting skunked.

The pattern is a long, drawn-out run of poor surf. There are no real standouts here at all. We start on Wednesday the 12th with a bit of small swell, 3ft from the south, but a cross-shore breeze of 16 mph ruins it. Combined wave energy is weak at 1029. Thursday the 13th through Friday the 14th are similar – lumpy cross-shore chop and poor conditions. Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th see a big spike in size, with 8ft to 12ft east swell, but the wind cranks up to 25-34 mph, making it a total mess. For a beach and reef setup like this, with that much wind and swell, it's honestly looking more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. That energy is massive – 2590 on Sunday morning – but it's unsurfable.

After that, the swell drops back to 3ft or less through the rest of the week, but the wind stays cross-shore and the quality is poor. There's a tiny glimmer on Saturday the 22nd afternoon: 2ft southwest swell, period 15 seconds, and glassy wind. That's the only "good" score in the whole 16 days but the swell is tiny. The energy is only 408. It's a rare moment of calm, but for a spot that's rarely breaking well, it's not enough to get excited about.

Honestly, there's a big gap of days with no real surf on offer. It's a blank run for this area – not unusual, but frustrating. The second week is even quieter, with small south and southwest swells and cross-shore winds. The forecast for the 22nd is promising but less certain because it's so far out. For now, I'd leave the board at home.

Rusty.

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