Fairhaven Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's cut through the noise and talk about what's on the table for the next couple of weeks.

First off, we've got a bit of a quiet start, followed by a long stretch of building and then fading swell. The real standout runs look to be from Saturday the 3rd of August into the following week, offering some of the cleanest, most consistent conditions we’ll see.

Fairhaven is our only spot on the radar, and it’s a tricky one. The cliff here is that it rarely breaks, so when it does, you have to be on it. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing wild.

The first real pulse arrives on Saturday the 26th of July. The morning is a write-off, but by Sunday afternoon, we’ve got a 7ft SW groundswell (11 seconds) with a light cross-off breeze. That’s clean, and the wave energy is moderate (1871). The conditions are good for experienced surfers, but it’s not a standout.

The real excitement starts to brew on Monday the 28th of July. The morning is sloppy, but the afternoon turns clean with a 5ft SW swell (11 seconds) and a moderate offshore breeze from the NNW. The wave energy is moderate (714). It’s a solid session.

The biggest highlight is a multi-day run starting on Saturday the 3rd of August. From the morning through to Thursday the 8th, Fairhaven is firing with clean, offshore winds. On Saturday the 3rd, we’ve got a 8ft SW groundswell (15 seconds) with light ENE cross-off winds. The combined energy is strong (2726). This is prime, long-period groundswell, which at this reef setup will mean long, well-shaped waves with big gaps between sets. The offshore wind will keep it silky.

Then on Monday the 5th of August, we’ve got another strong session with a 7ft SW groundswell (14 seconds) and a moderate offshore breeze from the NNW. The energy is still strong (1895). This is the kind of run where you’d be a fool to miss it.

The run continues through Thursday the 7th of August, with 6ft SW groundswell (15-16 seconds) and moderate offshore winds. Wave energy is moderate (1931-2063). The quality is consistent, but the crowds are likely to be around, as it’s a spot that often gets attention.

Things get a bit messy on Friday the 8th of August. The morning is a write-off with a strong 40 km/h offshore wind from the N, but the swell is a short-period 8ft SE windswell (8 seconds). That’s a frustrating combo – clean face but hard to paddle into and a bit sectiony. The afternoon drops to 4ft SW groundswell (16 seconds) with a fresh to strong cross-off wind, which is still clean but the energy is weak (798).

The final stretch from Saturday the 9th of August through to Sunday the 10th sees the swell drop off. The 4ft to 4ft SW groundswell (14-16 seconds) is clean on Saturday morning, but the wind turns onshore and choppy on Saturday afternoon. The last window on Sunday the 10th is very clean, with a 4ft SW swell (14 seconds) and a slight cross-off breeze, but the energy is weak (886). That’s the tail end of the run.

Bottom line: The best bet is the long, clean window from Saturday the 3rd of August through to Thursday the 7th of August. That’s where the quality, size, and wind all align. The Saturday the 26th of July window is a decent warm-up, but the real meat is in the first week of August. Keep an eye on the crowds at Fairhaven, because it’s a place that draws a crew when it’s good.

- Rusty

Read more