Fare Left Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on the cards for Fare Left over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I’ll be straight with you – the first few days are a bit touch and go. We’ve got some decent size coming in, but the conditions are just not playing ball for a proper session. Thursday the 20th, there’s a 7ft SW swell with a 14-second period, which gives it some grunt, but the wind is a light cross-onshore, messing with the surface. The combined energy is still solid, sitting at 1654 (moderate wave energy), which tells you there’s power there, but the quality just isn’t there. The water temp is a warm 80°, with an anomaly of 0.9° – pretty much spot on for average for this time of year, so you won’t need a thick suit.

The wind turns cleaner from Friday morning the 21st onwards, blowing cross-offshore from the SSE, but it’s really howling – 16 to 22 mph. The swell holds around 7ft from the SSW, period at 12 seconds, and energy is still pumping (1215 to 1485). It’s clean, but that wind is a hassle. Saturday the 22nd sees the swell bump up a touch to 7ft (SSW, 14 seconds), with even more energy (2173) and still a fresh cross-off breeze. It’s surfable, but there are better windows ahead.

Now, here’s the standout. Sunday the 23rd looks like the pick of the first week. We’ve got a 7ft SSW groundswell with a very long 17-second period. The combined energy is pumping at 3026 (strong wave energy) in the morning, and the wind is a clean cross-off from the ESE at 19 mph. The afternoon eases slightly to 6ft but the energy jumps to 4328 – that’s some serious power. This is a reef break that loves a SW swell direction, and this is right in its wheelhouse. That long period will give it proper shape and long lulls between sets, which helps with the paddle out. Be warned though, Fare Left is an advanced spot, and with that size and power, it’s for experienced surfers only. It’s fairly consistent and can get a crowd sometimes, so expect some company.

Monday the 24th gets even bigger – 8ft from the S with a 14-second period and strong offshore winds from the ESE at 25-28 mph. The energy is high (3017), and while it’s clean, the comment says it’s “strong offshore and clean but hard to paddle into.” That’s a classic trade-off: beautiful face but a mission to get out. The period drops to 8 seconds in the afternoon, which is short period wind swell – not ideal for this kind of break.

From Tuesday the 25th through to the end of the month, the size drops off and the winds stay strong and offshore. Swell heights dip to 3ft to 5ft, with periods ranging from 12 to 18 seconds. The energy drops into the hundreds and low thousands – mostly moderate. The conditions are clean (offshore or cross-off), but the margins are small. The 29th and 30th of August see a bit of a pulse again – 7ft to 8ft SSW swell with 15-18 second periods and strong offshore winds. Energy hits 2044 to 3007. That’s another good window, but the wind is strong, making it a battle.

Come late August and into September, things mellow out. Swell sizes run in the 4ft to 4ft range, with good 16-17 second periods on the 2nd of September (moderate offshore, clean). That’s a nice, punchy long-period swell for an advanced reef break. The 3rd and 4th of September see the period drop to 14 seconds and the energy settles around 682-861 – still fun but nothing epic.

Overall, the standout runs are Sunday 23rd August (morning and afternoon) and then the pulse around Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th August (morning). Thursday the 2nd of September is a nice late run. The rest is workable but not firing. Just remember, with that long-period groundswell, Fare Left being a reef break is your friend – it won’t close out straight like a beachie would.

Rusty.

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