Etang-Sale Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a solid run of surf coming up at Etang-Sale, a reef break for the advanced crew. The water’s sitting at 77°, a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you’ll be comfortable in a spring suit or even just boardshorts if you’re used to it.

The pattern kicks off this Saturday morning, 22 August, with a clean 6 ft SW swell (combined energy 1188, so moderate). Light cross-offshore breeze from the SSE, so it’s looking tidy. By the afternoon, the wind swings fully offshore, keeping that 6 ft SW swell clean and offering some proper lines for experienced surfers.

Sunday 23 August is a standout. The morning bumps up to 8 ft SW swell (energy 2590, strong) with light cross-offshore wind, and the afternoon turns glassy at 8 ft SW swell. That’s clean, powerful, and at the upper end for advanced surfers—too big for beginners, but for the crew who know what they’re doing, this is the pick of the first week. The 14-second period means good groundswell and proper shape, though at a reef, that long period will link up nicely.

Monday 24 August holds similar size, 8 ft SSW swell (energy 2846, strong) in the morning. Light cross-offshore wind, clean. The afternoon stays at 8 ft but with a 14-second period, still clean. Tuesday 25 August drops to 6 ft in the morning (energy 1204), still clean, though the afternoon sees a bit of a drop to 6 ft and energy down to 871. Still clean, but the energy’s backing off.

Wednesday 26 August is a mixed bag—morning brings a cross-on breeze and a 5 ft SW swell (energy 1017, weak end of moderate), but the afternoon turns glassy again with a 4 ft SSW swell. That 18-second period is very long, which will make the reef run smoother, but it’s a smaller day.

Now, Thursday 27 August is the real standout. The morning delivers 10 ft SSW swell (energy 5153, very strong) with clean light cross-offshore wind. The afternoon pushes 12 ft SSW swell (energy 6434, very strong). Let’s be clear: this is only for expert surfers—over 8 ft at a reef, these are serious waves. The wind stays clean and cross-off, but the size and power demand respect.

Friday 28 August sees 15 ft SSW swell (energy 11109, very strong) with fresh offshore wind from the SE. That’s big, powerful, and offshore—but at that size, paddling into waves is a battle. The strong breeze makes it clean but hard to paddle into. Saturday 29 August drops to 13 ft (energy 8185) in the morning, still fresh offshore, and by the afternoon 12 ft with a strong breeze—still offshore, but the wind is pumping. Only for the hardcore crew.

Sunday 30 August eases back to 8 ft SSW swell (energy 3882, strong) with moderate offshore wind, clean. Monday 31 August drops further to 5 ft (energy 787) in the morning, clean. Tuesday 1 September is small, 4 ft S swell (energy 349). So the second week starts fading.

There’s a bit of a gap from Wednesday 2 September morning through to Thursday 3 September, with small, poor-quality surf—1 ft to 2 ft, and the wind is either cross or onshore. Not worth paddling out.

Then Thursday 3 September afternoon picks up again with a 4 ft SW swell (energy 1100, moderate) and glassy conditions. Friday 4 September: 5 ft SW swell (energy 1038) in the morning, clean light offshore. Saturday 5 September: 4 ft SSW swell (energy 1150) with clean light cross-offshore. Sunday 6 September: 4 ft SW swell (energy 828) in the morning, clean. The second week is smaller but still rideable on the right days, with glassy or clean conditions.

Best on offer: Sunday 23 August afternoon for the glassy, powerful 8 ft SW swell, and Thursday 27 August morning for the big, clean 10 ft for the experts. The long period swells (15-18 seconds) on some days will make the reef work beautifully, but beware of the paddling effort on the big days.

Signing off, Rusty.

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