Fingal Point and Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – the next couple of weeks around Fingal Point and Beach are shaping up as a real battle for paddle surfers. Most days are looking pretty average, with messy winds and small, weak energy. The main issue is a persistent onshore or cross-shore breeze that’s keeping things choppy and unappealing. There are a few bright spots, but you’ve got to be patient.

From now, Sunday August 30th, right through to Thursday September 10th, it’s a lot of poor conditions. The swell is small, mostly under 3ft, with combined energy values sitting below 100, so it’s weak. The wind is almost always from the south or southeast, making for cross-onshore or choppy conditions. The one decent morning is Thursday September 3rd, with a clean cross-offshore from the northwest and a 2ft swell, but at that size it’s barely surfable. The morning of Saturday September 5th is also clean with a cross-off, but again, only 3ft.

A real standout is Friday September 4th, early. We’ve got a 2ft swell coming from the NNE with a glassy, slight air wind from the northeast. That’s about as clean as it gets. Combined energy is 66 – still weak, but the glassy conditions make it the best on offer for a beginner or someone just wanting to get a few soft ones. Swell direction is NNE, which is a touch off the optimum NE, but the glass takes the sting out of that.

Then, finally, we get something with a bit of push. On Thursday September 10th, the morning shows 5ft from the northeast with a clean cross-offshore wind from the SSW. Combined energy jumps to 228 – moderate energy, finally some life. The period is 7 seconds, so it’s a short-period wind swell, not groundswell, but the clean conditions mean it could offer some fun, punchy lines. At 5ft, it’s getting a bit much for the absolute beginners, but intermediates will love it. Fingal Point will handle this size well, but keep an eye on that direction – it’s a touch north of the optimum, so the point might be a little fat. This is the best wave of the whole 16-day window.

After that, it drops off again. From Friday September 11th onward, we’re back to small, weak, and onshore – 3ft to 4ft swells, with combined energy mostly under 161, and cross-onshore winds from the southeast. Not worth paddling out for unless you’re desperate. The 13th and 14th of September are particularly poor with onshore slop.

So, to sum it up: the first week and a half is a write-off for most. The only two real chances are the glassy, small morning on Friday September 4th (2ft, NNE, glassy), and the clean, moderate push on Thursday September 10th (5ft, NE, SSW cross-off). The 10th is the standout. The rest is for the kite crew if the wind picks up.

Rusty.

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