Fishermans (Rhiw) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a cup of coffee and listen up. Rusty here, and I’ve got to be straight with you – the next couple of weeks at Fishermans (Rhiw) are looking pretty grim. This is one of those stretches where you might want to keep the board in the shed or find something else to do. We’ve got a 16-day window and honestly, there’s almost nothing to get excited about until the very, very end.

First up, the water here is sitting at 62°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s a nice little bonus if you’re paddling around, but it won’t fix the lack of waves.

The forecast is a long, dry spell. For the first week and a half, from Sunday 2nd August all the way through to Friday 14th August, it’s a total write-off. Every single session is labelled "poor surf conditions". The swell is tiny – mostly below 2ft, with a few days bumping up to 4ft or 5ft, but it’s coming from the wrong angles (SW, WSW) with short, weak periods of 4 to 8 seconds. The combined energy is pathetic, often just single digits or low double digits (like 4 or 35). The wind is a mess too – mostly cross, cross-on, or onshore, with a few clean-ish moments but nothing that makes the tiny swell worthwhile. You’ll see a few "clean" or "cross-off" wind labels, but with no swell to work with, it’s like having a perfect canvas and no paint.

There’s a bit of a pulse around the 14th and 15th of August, with swell heights climbing to 5ft, but the period is still short (5-6 seconds) and the energy is only moderate at best (133). The wind is a bit better – cross-off and offshore – but the quality is still "poor". It’s just not coming together.

Now, the only glimmer of hope comes right at the very tail end of the forecast. On Monday 17th August, the morning session looks especially promising. The wind turns glassy from the ENE at just 3 mph, and the swell is 2ft from the SW with a 6-second period. The energy is weak (32), but that glassy, clean surface is a major positive. It’s the only session with a score of 1 out of 10, and it’s described as "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions". That afternoon, things pick up a bit more: 4ft of swell from the WNW, a 5-second period, and clean cross-off winds from the NNW at 9 mph. The energy bumps up to 70. This is the best we’ve got. It’s not a classic, but if you’re desperate, that Monday afternoon session is your standout.

To be honest, this is a reef break that’s fairly exposed to SW swell, and it’s rated as "beginner" difficulty. It’s also "fairly consistent" normally, but this forecast is just a blank run. It’s worth noting that with the short, weak swell and the strong onshore winds we saw on the 5th and 6th, the setup looked more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. But for us surfers, it’s a tough watch.

So, hang tight. The forecasts can change, and it rarely stays this poor for this long. But for now, the only window with even a hint of something surfable is Monday 17th August. Keep an eye on it, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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