Farmer Burgers Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Looking at the 16-day picture for Farmer Burgers, it’s a real mixed bag—plenty of swell on the table, but the wind is going to be the enemy more often than not. This reef break is fairly consistent and exposed to a WSW swell, preferring it from that direction, which lines up nicely with what’s coming. For an intermediate spot, there’s some decent energy pulsing through, but you’ll have to be picky about your session. The standout by a long shot is the Wednesday morning of the 26th of August. That’s the one to circle on the calendar. The other real highlight comes much later, on the morning of the 4th of September—another cracker, but it’s a long way off and less certain.

Right now, the first surf worth mentioning kicks off on Friday the 21st of August. There’s a 5ft SSW swell rolling in with a 12-second period—decent groundswell energy and clean lines, but the wind is a light cross-onshore. It’s a bit of a struggle, marginal at best. The water is sitting at 56°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so expect a slight chill.

Friday afternoon and Saturday, it’s poor—wind picks up, swell drops, and you’re looking at choppy, cross-onshore junk. Not worth suiting up.

Sunday the 23rd of August morning has the best promise before the 26th. Swell pushes up to 6ft from the WSW, period at a solid 13 seconds, and wave energy is cranking—moderate to strong. But that cross-onshore wind from the south is going to put a ruffle on it. Still a chance for a session if you’re desperate.

Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th are similar stories—good swell sticks around (5ft to 6ft, long periods of 12–14 seconds, energy solid), but the cross-shore and cross-onshore winds leave the surface chopped. Monday afternoon is a write-off with 19 mph wind.

Now, Wednesday morning the 26th of August. This is your moment. Swell is a clean 4ft from the WSW, 13-second period, and the wind is offshore from the ENE at just 9 mph. That means clean, peeling faces with a gentle offshore breeze. The guidance calls this “expect very good surf conditions,” and I’m all over it. Farmer Burgers can see crowds sometimes, so get in early for the best of it.

Wednesday afternoon fades—wind swings onshore and it gets marginal again. Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th are nothing special, with small, weak swell and messy winds. Friday afternoon does see a jump to 4ft WSW swell with 15 seconds and cross-off wind, but it’s cloudy and the system looks rough.

The weekend of the 29th–30th of August has consistent 5ft–6ft WSW swell with moderate energy, but cross-onshore to onshore winds every session spoil it. Sunday afternoon even hits 6ft from the SW at a short 9 seconds—slop.

Monday the 31st of August morning offers a brief window: 3ft WSW swell, 10-second period, light cross-off ESE wind—clean but small. Tuesday the 1st of September is even smaller and very ordinary.

Then comes another standout—Wednesday the 2nd of September morning. Swell is a solid 7ft from the WSW with a very long 15-second period. That’s a strong, powerful groundswell. With a light cross-shore NW wind, it’s clean with just small ripples. This is for experienced surfers only—over 6ft gets heavy, and at a reef, that’s serious. If you’re confident, this could be epic. That afternoon builds to 8ft but with onshore wind—stay away.

Thursday the 3rd of September is blown out—10ft swell but 25 mph cross-onshore. That’s more of a kite setup than a paddle surf session, massive and messy.

Finally, Friday the 4th of September morning is the last real highlight. Swell drops to 6ft from the WSW, 11-second period, and wind is light cross-off from the ESE. The guidance says “expect very good surf conditions.” This one’s a promising long-range call—clean, manageable size, and good fun. Saturday the 5th morning is similar but a bit smaller.

There’s a gap from the 30th of August afternoon through the 1st of September where there’s nothing worth paddling out for—about two days of quiet. Overall, pick your windows: the 26th of August morning is the best bet, and the 4th of September morning is a solid backup if you’re patient.

Rusty.

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