Flatrock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, mates, Rusty here. Let’s talk about the next couple of weeks at Flatrock. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, so let’s get into it.

We’re looking at a stretch that starts off pretty average, with a lot of onshore or cross-onshore winds chopping things up. The water temp is sitting around 59°, which is about normal for this time of year, so nothing wild there. The first real standout doesn’t come until next Sunday, the 23rd.

The Early Days (Aug 18-22)
The first few days are pretty grim. Tuesday and Wednesday are a write-off with strong winds and lumpy conditions. Thursday and Friday have some size, but the wind is all over it, making for messy, choppy surf. Nothing worth getting too excited about. We get a bit of a breather on Saturday the 22nd, with lighter winds, but it’s still not clean. The swell is solid, around 10ft, but the tide and wind are keeping it from being any good.

The First Standout (Aug 23)
Then, finally, on Sunday morning, the 23rd, things click into place. We’ve got a decent 8ft SW groundswell, with a period of 17 seconds. The wind swings to a light NE cross-off, which is going to make it glassy and clean. The wave energy is strong, hitting 3996 on the scale. This is the one to circle on the calendar. It’s not for the faint of heart at that size, but for experienced surfers, this is as good as it gets in this window.

The Middle Lull (Aug 24-28)
After that, we drop back into a bit of a lull. The swell backs off for a couple of days and the winds get messy again. Next week, from the 25th to the 28th, is mostly a poor run. There’s a solid pulse of energy on the 26th and 27th, but it comes with brutal onshore winds, making it completely unsurfable. It’s a classic case of plenty of ocean, but nothing you’d want to paddle out into.

The Second Standout & Beyond (Aug 29 - Sept 2)
The surf starts to clean up again on Saturday the 29th, but it’s small. The real gem of the second week is on Monday morning, the 31st of August. We see a nice 4ft SW swell, with a very long 18-second period. The wind is light ENE offshore, dead glassy. It’s a smaller day, but the quality will be superb, especially if you can find a point or a reef to handle that long-period swell. The energy is moderate at 2059, but the conditions will be perfect. The following morning, September 1st, also looks promising, with a clean 7ft swell and cross-off winds, so that’s another good option.

Later in the window, on September 2nd, we see another push of 10ft swell, but it’s looking a bit more dicey with the winds. That one’s a wait-and-see. The long-range stuff is promising, but less certain. For now, the 23rd is your best bet for size and power, and the 31st is your best bet for pure, clean conditions on a smaller day. It’s a mixed bag, but there are a couple of days worth getting out of bed for.

Rusty out.

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