Flatrock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks.

We’re focusing on Flatrock, a reef setup that handles a southwest swell best. This one’s for the advanced crew only, and it’s fairly consistent. Right now, we’ve got a real solid pulse running, but the window to get it clean is narrow.

### Tuesday, 4th August

This is the standout. Tuesday morning kicks off with a glassy, calm sea – no wind at all, flat calm. The water temp is sitting at 60°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so nothing weird there. The swell is a solid 7 ft from the SW, with a super long period of 15 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, and the energy is high – very strong, in fact (2092). The reef will focus that energy, so expect powerful, well-shaped waves. It’s not for beginners; 7 ft with that period is for the experienced crew. Given the high quality and the glassy conditions, this is the pick of the bunch. Tuesday afternoon stays clean too, with a light WSW breeze at 3 mph still glassy, and the swell dropping slightly to 6 ft, period still 15 seconds. The energy is still strong (1807). Crowds are possible here, so get in early.

### Wednesday, 5th August to Friday, 7th August

Things start to get messy. Wednesday morning the wind swings WNW at 9 mph, bringing a cross-onshore breeze that chops things up. The swell drops to 4 ft but with a very long period of 19 seconds – that’s a long wait between sets. The energy is still moderate (1402), but the wind is the problem. Wednesday afternoon gets worse with NW 12 mph cross-onshore and a bigger 5 ft swell. Thursday and Friday see some cross-shore winds, which is better than onshore, but the swell is building again – 7 ft on Thursday, 8 ft on Friday. The energy is very strong (2443 on Thursday, 3790 on Friday), but the wind is never truly clean. It’s surfable for the experienced, but quality is marginal.

### Saturday, 8th August & Sunday, 9th August

Forget it. This is a write-off. Saturday brings strong north winds at 28 mph, and Sunday is a near gale from the WSW at 34 mph. The swell is huge – 10 ft on Sunday morning, 13 ft by the afternoon. The energy is off the charts (4474 to 6661), but it’s completely blown out. This is more of a kite-surfing setup than a surf session. The reef becomes a washing machine.

### Monday, 10th August to Wednesday, 12th August

The strong winds continue. Monday and Tuesday see solid 13 ft to 20 ft SW swells, but the wind is howling from the W and WSW, making it an absolute mess. On Wednesday the 12th, the swell peaks at 20 ft, with energy readings hitting 25588 – that’s extreme. The wind is onshore at 19 mph from the WSW. The file even notes it’s too big for this break. This is for experts only, and even then, it’s dangerous. Stay out.

### Thursday, 13th August to Friday, 14th August

A slight improvement. The swell drops to 13 ft, and the wind backs off to 9 mph from the WNW. The wind is onshore, but light. The energy is still very strong (8148). The quality is marginal, but it’s a step up from the prior days. Friday the 14th sees a 12 ft swell with a light NW cross-onshore breeze. Cleaner, but still not the best.

### Saturday, 15th August to Monday, 17th August

The swell is easing, but the wind picks up again. Saturday is 10 ft to 8 ft, with moderate cross-shore and cross-onshore winds. Sunday drops to 8 ft, but Monday sees fresh cross-shore winds at 19 mph. The energy is moderate (1310 on Monday), but the chop ruins it.

### Tuesday, 18th August to Wednesday, 19th August

A final pulse. Tuesday brings a 8 ft swell with a 17-second period, but the wind is fresh cross-shore at 19 mph, making it lumpy. Wednesday looks more promising: 12 ft swell with a 16-second period, and a light onshore breeze from the WNW at 9 mph. The quality is marginal, but the energy is very strong (6317). It’s a long way out, so keep an eye on it.

All in all, Tuesday the 4th is your best bet. Glassy, clean, powerful groundswell. After that, there’s a long gap of poor conditions lasting several days, with a few marginal windows later in the second week. The long-range stuff on the 19th is promising but less certain.

Stay safe out there, and don’t get caught inside on that 20 ft day.

Rusty.

Read more