Fairhaven Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a bit of a tricky one ahead for Fairhaven. Not a lot on offer for a decent paddle, so let’s break it down.

The first decent chance to get wet doesn’t roll in until Saturday morning, August 15. Before that, we’ve got a massive pulse of swell that’s just way too big for this break. Thursday and Friday see waves over 12 ft from the WSW and SW with a very long 16-second period, pushing combined energy readings into the thousands (15,972 to 5,080). On top of that, we’ve got cross and cross-onshore winds, so it’s a mess — really only for the most experienced, and even then it’s not worth it. The water temp is about average for the time of year at 57°.

Now, Saturday morning, August 15 is the real standout for this whole outlook. Fairhaven is a beginner-friendly spot, and it *rarely breaks*, so when it does, you pay attention. Saturday morning brings a 10 ft SW swell with a long 15-second period. That’s a proper groundswell. The magic here is the wind: glassy, with a light SSE breeze at 3 mph. It’ll be clean as a whistle. The combined energy is still strong at 3,828, but the wave comment says it’s excellent for experienced surfers. For a place that rarely works, this is a gift. Expect crowds, because it’s often busy here.

Sunday and Monday, the swell drops to around 7 ft, with light cross and cross-off winds. Conditions are better for a beginner-friendly paddle, but it’s nothing to write home about. The energy drops to between 1,288 and 1,641, so it’s weak to moderate.

Tuesday, August 18 morning sees a much cleaner setup with offshore NNE winds at 9 mph and a 5 ft SW swell, 14-second period. Clean waves, but small. Energy is 1,213.

From there, the swell fades right down into the 2 ft to 5 ft range for the rest of the week, with mostly offshore or cross-off winds. Energy levels drop below 1,000 for a few days, which is weak. It’s surfable, but ordinary.

Then we hit another big pulse around August 24 and 25, with swell jumping back up to 10 ft to 13 ft SW and WSW. But again, it’s just too big for Fairhaven, with strong cross-off winds and combined energy readings over 3,700 and up to 6,929. Not for the faint-hearted, and the wave comment says it’s too big for this break.

The very end of the outlook on August 27 and 28 brings a massive 18 ft SW swell with a 16-second period and energy at a whopping 24,479. That’s a big, dangerous ocean. With onshore winds, it’s a no-go for surfing. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Overall, the best bet is that glassy Saturday morning, August 15. After that, it’s a mix of small, clean, but unremarkable days and some big, unruly ones. Keep an eye on the forecast, because things can change, but for now, that Saturday is your window.

Rusty.

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