Fairhaven Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s talk about Fairhaven. This spot is a rarely-breaking beginner wave, so the fact that we have any action at all is a bit special. The water’s sitting at a pretty normal 57°F for this time of year, nothing weird there.

We kick off on Saturday morning, 29 August, with a glassy session. The swell is 6 ft out of the southwest, with a long 14-second period giving it some proper energy (combined energy of 1500). That’s solid, clean surf, but at this size it’s best for experienced surfers. The wind is almost nothing out of the west-northwest, so the surface will be like glass. This is a standout for the early part of the outlook – clean, punchy, and rare for this break.

The rest of the weekend and Monday morning on 31 August stays similar: clean, glassy southwest swell around 8 ft to 8 ft, with long periods of 13–14 seconds. The energy builds to 2718 by Monday morning. That’s still excellent for those who can handle it, but keep in mind this break is rarely breaking, so don’t get your hopes too high for consistency. Crowds are often a factor here.

Tuesday morning, 1 September, we get offshore winds from the north-northwest at 12 mph, and a 7 ft southwest swell with a very long 15-second period (combined energy 2237). That’s a lovely clean window, but the long period means the waves might be a bit too straight for a beach break; Fairhaven is a fairly exposed spot though, so it could still hold shape. Another standout for the first week.

By Wednesday morning, 2 September, the swell hits 8 ft from the west-southwest (combined energy 4710). The wind is cross-shore, so not perfect but still rideable for the strong paddlers.

Then things go big. From Thursday morning, 3 September, through to the end of the second week, the swell regularly jumps over 10 ft, hitting 15 ft and even 16 ft with combined energy values climbing into the tens of thousands (like 11093 and 20857). That is way too big for this break – it’s only for experts at over 8 ft. The wind often stays clean or cross-offshore, but the sheer size makes it unsafe and unmanageable for most. It looks more like a day for the kitesurfers if anything.

The second week does have a few promising smaller windows. Saturday morning, 12 September, sees a 7 ft southwest swell with a 12-second period and north-northwest cross-offshore winds (combined energy 2130). Clean and manageable. The following afternoon the swell bumps to 8 ft with a very long 16-second period (combined energy 3239) – that’s lovely, but again the long period might make it a bit straight at Fairhaven. Still, for the rare surfer willing to gamble on an inconsistent break, that’s your best late-stage bet.

Overall, the best on offer are Saturday 29 August morning and Tuesday 1 September morning – both clean, good-sized southwest swells with light to offshore wind. The rest of the month is either too big, too choppy, or marginal.

Rusty.

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