Fistral-South Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up.

Right now, we’re in a bit of a flat spell with hardly any surf to speak of. The whole first week is pretty much a write-off, with tiny, weak swell and not enough energy to get excited about. From Sunday the 23rd right through to Saturday the 29th, the waves are mostly below 2 feet, with poor conditions and scores that are basically zero. There’s a bit of a bump on Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th, but the wind is cross or cross-onshore, the period is short, and the surf is messy or just plain poor. That 3 ft to 4 ft stuff on Thursday and Friday comes with moderate to fresh onshore wind, so it’s not really worth paddling out for.

Then we hit Sunday the 30th of August – still not good. Swell around 4 ft to 5 ft from the west, but the wind stays cross-onshore and the period is short at 7 seconds. Choppy and ordinary.

Now, Monday the 31st of August is where things start to look a little more interesting. The morning has a clean 3 ft from the west-southwest with a light easterly breeze – cross-offshore and clean. The afternoon is even better: glassy conditions, no wind, and the same 3 ft of west swell. The energy is weak (139), but it’s clean and rideable. Not a standout, but at least you can get wet without fighting the wind.

Then there’s a couple of days of ordinary cross-onshore wind again, but hold onto your board – Thursday the 3rd of September brings a proper pulse. The morning shows 5 ft from the west, period 7 seconds, with a light southerly cross-offshore breeze. Clean conditions and moderate energy (279). This is the first real highlight. The break here is Fistral-South. It’s a fairly exposed spot, so it catches that west-southwest swell well. The optimum direction is west-southwest, and the swell is coming from west, so it’s a good fit. It’s consistent, so you can expect waves through the session. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

Friday the 4th of September morning is the next standout. Similar size – 5 ft from the west, but the period bumps up to 9 seconds, which gives the waves more shape and energy. The energy reading is 423, which is moderate and solid. A gentle southerly cross-offshore breeze keeps it clean. This is the best session of the entire outlook. The crowd situation at Fistral-South can be busy at times, so if you want a peak to yourself, get in early.

Saturday the 5th of September goes downhill again with fresh cross-shore wind and rain, so not worth it.

Sunday the 6th of September afternoon sees a bigger pulse: 8 ft from the west, period 9 seconds, and a moderate south-southwest cross-offshore wind. That’s a strong energy reading of 1027. This is a big, powerful swell. At over 8 ft, it’s only for experienced surfers. The period is moderate, so it won’t be too straight, but at a beach break like Fistral-South, that longer-period groundswell might be a bit tricky. Still, if you’ve got the skill and the bottle, this could be a cracking session. Clean conditions make it even better.

Monday the 7th of September is a write-off with a near gale from the north-northwest and onshore wind. Not worth a second look.

So, the two standout sessions are Friday the 4th of September morning for the best combination of size, shape, and clean wind, and Sunday the 6th of September afternoon for the biggest, most powerful swell of the period – but that one’s only for experts. The rest of the outlook is mostly poor or marginal. Keep an eye on the forecast, because it can change, but for now, those two windows are your best bets.

Rusty.

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