Farmer Burgers Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s talk about what’s cooking at Farmer Burgers (reef). Look, I’ll be straight with you – most of this 16-day stretch is a bit of a wait, but there’s one session worth circling on your calendar if you’ve got patience.

Right now, the water’s a brisk 55°, which is about 4° colder than usual – that’s a serious chill, so bring a thick wetsuit. The first few days are rough. Friday afternoon (August 28) has a weak 2ft WSW swell with a 14-second period, but cross-on winds from the SSW at 9 mph have it looking choppy and messy. Combined energy is only 300 – weak.

Saturday August 29 picks up to 3ft–4ft, but those cross-shore and cross-on winds are fresh to strong (19–28 mph), churning things up. Combined energy hits 584–741, but it’s still poor. Sunday morning August 30 shows a glimmer: 7ft WSW swell, 13-second period, and light cross winds from the south at 9 mph. Combined energy jumps to 1362 – moderate – but it’s still a bit lumpy. The afternoon goes messy again.

Through the rest of that first week and into early September, we see swell between 4ft and 8ft, but winds are mostly cross-on or onshore and gusty. Wednesday September 2 morning hits 8ft with a 15-second period – big groundswell – but it’s cross-onshore and fairly choppy. Energy is strong at 2958, but it’s not clean. Only for experts at that size.

Then it goes flat. From September 4 onward, the swell drops to 1ft–2ft, and combined energy falls under 100 – basically nothing. Beginners shouldn’t bother any day here.

Now the highlight. Friday morning September 11 is the real deal. The wind goes glassy from the SW at 3 mph – dead calm. Swell is 3ft from the west with a very long period of 18 seconds. Combined energy is 1028 – moderate. This is prime groundswell for a reef, wrapping in with clean, lined-up waves. It’s glassy and excellent for experienced surfers. This is your window.

After that, September 12 has 6ft WSW swell with 14-second periods and light cross-on winds – marginal but doable.

Crowds at Farmer Burgers can show up sometimes, so on that glassy Friday, expect a few others with the same plan.

The second week is mostly small and average. September 6 has a 17-second period but only 2ft – long lines but tiny. Nothing else stands out until that 11 September morning.

No kite surfing here – it’s reef, not beach. Stay patient, aim for that Friday. Rusty out.

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