Fly Roads Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, I’ll level with you. We’ve been scanning the charts for Fly Roads, and honestly, it’s a tough stretch of water ahead. The next 16 days look like a real mixed bag, and I’d be lying if I said there was much to get too excited about. There’s a long, quiet gap at the start with no real surf to speak of. The first few days through the weekend and into next week are just flat or weak junk. We don’t see a proper pulse until the middle of the month, and even then, it’s not pretty.

Let’s run through it. Saturday the 8th through to Tuesday the 13th of August is mostly a write-off. We’re looking at tiny, weak swell with poor wind – a lot of cross-onshore chop and next to no energy. The combined energy is barely registering (81, 113, even down to 12). The water is sitting at 65°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing to complain about there.

Come Wednesday the 12th, there’s a tiny blip of long-period groundswell from the south, energy hitting 120, but it’s crossed up. Not worth paddling out for.

Then Thursday the 13th of August, we get a spike. The swell jumps to 6 ft in the morning from the south, period 8 seconds, and by the afternoon it’s 7 ft. The combined energy is cranked up to 873 – that’s a solid, moderate wall of water. But here’s the kicker: it’s a cross-onshore wind, and the wave comment says “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions.” This is a beach setup, so with that much south swell and the wind on it, it’s going to be messy and hard to paddle into. For a strong surfer, it might be worth a look, but for a beginner, 7 ft is too big. This is probably more interesting for the kite crew than the paddle crew.

Friday the 14th drops back to 5 ft, still cross-onshore, energy at 440. More of the same, just not great.

The weekend of the 15th and 16th of August, we’re still in the 3 ft to 5 ft range, but the wind is still cross-onshore from the south. The energy is tapering off (333, 295, 243). It’s just not clean.

Now, if you’re looking for the best of a bad bunch, I’d have to point to Monday the 17th of August. It’s not a standout, but it’s the cleanest we get. The swell is small, 2 ft from the south, period 9 seconds, but the wind swings to a light offshore from the northeast. The energy is only 107, but the wave comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” For a small wave funboard, with clean glassy conditions, you might snag a few. It’s the only window of clean offshore wind in the whole run.

After that, Tuesday the 18th through to Sunday the 23rd of August, we’re back into tiny, weak, and often onshore junk. The last day, Sunday the 23rd, shows a glassy morning with a little 3 ft swell from the SSE, period 7 seconds, energy 74. It’s a surfable wave, but it’s short period and weak. It’s the best of the second week, but it’s still pretty ordinary.

So, the bottom line: there’s no real standout in this 16-day window. The biggest pulse on the 13th is too blown out for a good paddle. The cleanest day is the 17th, but it’s tiny. Crowds at Fly Roads are a “sometimes” thing, so with the lack of quality, it’ll probably be quiet. Keep your expectations low, and maybe check the kite gear if you’ve got it.

Rusty.

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