Fitzroy Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, mate, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the region.

The forecast period is a bit of a mixed bag, with a lot of big, messy swell and strong winds making it tough for surfing. The water temp is sitting at 57°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so nothing unusual there for Fitzroy Beach.

The first real chance of a decent surf is on the morning of Thursday, 27 August. The gloom clears to some clouds, and we get a glassy, offshore wind from the NNW at 3 mph. The swell is a solid 6 ft from the WSW with a period of 13 seconds, giving it some good energy (1059). The conditions are expected to be very good, and this is shaping up as the standout session of the near-term. The wind is near-perfect, the waves have shape, and it’s the best the early part of the outlook gets.

After that, things get messy. The afternoon of the 27th turns cross-onshore, and Friday the 28th is a write-off with strong cross-onshore winds and lumpy, poor surf. Saturday the 29th offers a cross-shore wind and a 6 ft WSW swell, but it’s only marginal. The rest of the weekend and into early next week is a lot of the same: strong winds, large but messy swells, and poor conditions.

The middle of the week from Monday, 31 August, sees a massive jump in swell energy, with 15 ft to 16 ft waves, but the wind is unfavourable, and the commentary says the swell is just too big for the break. This kind of size and power is strictly for experts, and even then, the wind is messy. The same pattern holds through to the end of the first week and into the second week of September. There are some promising swells in direction, like a WSW or W groundswell with long periods, but the wind is almost always cross-onshore or onshore, and the ratings are all poor.

The standout for the whole period, looking further ahead, is the morning of Tuesday, 8 September. The forecast shows a 21 ft swell from the W with a 15-second period, generating massive energy (19387). The wind is cross-shore from the SW at 16 mph, which is manageable. But again, the swell is predicted to be too big for this break, so it’s a beast that only the most experienced will even consider. It’s a long-range call, so treat it as promising but uncertain.

For the average surfer, the best bet by far is the glassy Thursday morning on 27 August. After that, it’s a long wait with many days of blown-out, messy, or oversized surf. The consistency is fairly consistent, but the quality just isn’t there for most of the run. If you’re a kitesurfer, much of the second week with those strong cross-onshore winds and big swell might be more interesting than for paddle surfing.

Rusty.

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