Fingal Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your wettie. Rusty here, let's talk about what's shaping up for us at Fingal Bay.

The surf forecast has got a bit of everything over the next couple of weeks, but don't expect a non-stop party. There are some solid pulses of energy coming in, especially towards the back half of the outlook, but a lot of it is going to be blown out or too meaty for this spot.

We start off with some small fun-size stuff. Friday the 4th has a bit of a mixed bag. The morning is pretty average with a light cross-onshore breeze on some small 2 ft S swell. Not worth getting too excited about. The afternoon looks more promising with the swell building to 5 ft from the S, and the breeze going cross-offshore, leaving things clean. That’s a decent session, with moderate wave energy (402).

Saturday the 5th we get clean conditions with an offshore breeze, but the swell drops back to 3 ft. Surfable, but it's the kind of day you take the log out for a cruise. The following days through to Monday the 8th are mostly a write-off. We get some size, like 6 ft on Monday morning, but the wind is all over the shop, mostly onshore or cross-onshore, making a mess of things.

Alright, now let's talk about the real standout. Wednesday the 9th morning is the pick of the first week. We've got a clean 6 ft SSE swell, and the wind is a tiny, almost non-existent offshore from the NW (5 km/h). That's about as clean as it gets. The water temp is 66°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so you’re not freezing, but a spring suit is still a good idea. The combined energy is a solid moderate (579). Don’t expect a crowd, but it is Fingal, so don't be surprised if a few others have the same idea.

After that, we run into a rough patch from late on the 9th through the 16th. Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th see the swell jump up to 10 ft and beyond with strong, nasty onshore winds. That’s pure chaos. The energy numbers are huge (over 2000), but it’s just a washing machine. The break turns ugly and is really only of interest to the tow crew or maybe the kite surfers. It stays ugly for nearly a week.

The next bright spot, and it's a bit of a gamble being so far out, is Thursday the 17th of September. The morning shows a 7 ft SSW swell with a light offshore breeze. That's a very clean, powerful wave. The energy is strong (563). This is the size where you need to know what you're doing, as 8 ft in the afternoon with a moderate breeze is pushing the limits for less experienced surfers. Fingal breaks as a beach and point, and with that size and a bit of S direction, the point should be handling it nicely. There’s a solid chance of a crowd here, but the quality on offer will be worth the battle.

After that, the 18th and 19th bring another surge of massive, long-period groundswell (13 ft with 15 seconds on Friday), but the onshore wind kills it again. The 19th has clean winds and a big 8 ft to 10 ft S swell, but the file straight up tells us it's too big for this break. That's a hard pass for a paddle session.

So, in short: Wednesday the 9th morning for the clean, fun waves, and keep a close eye on Thursday the 17th for the potential for some proper, powerful, clean walls.

Rusty out.

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