Flagpoles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s coming up for Flagpoles.

Right off the bat, I gotta say it: things are looking flat and pretty grim for the whole stretch. This ain’t a time to be getting excited. The first real chance of anything worth paddling out for doesn’t show up until the tail end of the forecast, and even then, it’s a long shot.

We’re starting from the end of August and heading straight into a dry spell. The 28th through to the 5th of September is just a whole lot of nothing – tiny ankle-slashers, messy onshore wind, and a combined energy that barely gets into double digits (a weak 29). There are no standouts here, just knee-high slop with cross-on breezes. Don’t bother.

The gap of poor surf stretches for over a week. Around the 8th and 9th of September, things get a little more interesting in a weird way. On the morning of the 8th, we get a clean cross-offshore breeze, but the swell is a pathetic 0.7ft. By the afternoon of the 8th, the wind swings offshore but the wave direction swings around to the ESE with a very long period of 16 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy, but for Flagpoles, which is a beach and reef setup, a period that long will likely break too straight and close out. The combined energy is a moderate 46, which is the most we see in the whole outlook, but it’s still only small surf.

On the 9th, Wednesday morning, we get a gentle offshore breeze with a 1ft swell from the NE, period of 11 seconds. That’s the cleanest looking window in the whole 16 days. The combined energy is 50, still weak. Then, on the 11th of September, Friday morning, the wind goes glassy – flat calm, zero wind. The swell is only 1ft from the NE, period 9 seconds, and the energy is just 24. It’s a beautiful morning to sit on the water, but you won’t be riding much.

Honestly, nothing in this 16-day window is a standout. If you had to pick the least bad moment, it’s the morning of September 9th. That 1ft NE swell with gentle offshore wind will be clean, but that’s about the only compliment I can give it. For beginners, the size is fine, but the lack of real push makes it tough. For experienced surfers, you’ll be fighting for scraps.

Water temp on the first mention (August 28th) is 87°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

Given the persistent small swell and onshore conditions through most of it, this setup honestly looks more interesting for a kite than a paddle.

Rusty.

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