Fortress Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s on offer. I’m not gonna lie, the next two weeks are looking pretty quiet around here. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak swell and the wind is going to be a problem more often than not. This isn’t one of those classic runs where you’re spoilt for choice. It’s more of a waiting game, and honestly, for a lot of it, the conditions are just too messy for a proper paddle session.

The best spot to talk about is Fortress (reef). It’s a beginner-friendly reef break, fairly consistent, and it’s exposed to the swell. The water temp is sitting at 71°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

We start off with a real nothing-burger. The first few days are tiny. Tuesday the 25th morning has a 1.0ft swell from the SE with a 16 mph cross-off breeze. The energy is weak (36). It’s clean, but there’s nothing to ride. That theme continues. Wednesday the 26th morning sees a slight bump to 2ft from the SE, with a 6 mph offshore wind, but the energy is still weak (48). It’s surfable but very ordinary. The best we get in that first week is Friday the 28th afternoon. The swell picks up to 3ft from the SE, with a 9 mph offshore wind and the energy climbs to (112). It’s clean, but it’s still a pretty small day. The waves are short and weak.

The weekend is a write-off. Saturday the 29th sees a 2ft S swell with a 7-second period and a slight cross-off, but it’s inconsistent. Sunday the 30th is just crossed up and messy. We then have a long gap of poor conditions. The wind is onshore or cross-shore, the swell is small, and the energy is low. For a stretch from the 31st of August right through to the 7th of September, it’s mostly poor surf with a few mornings of clean but tiny waves.

The one true standout in this whole 16-day window, if you can even call it that, is Wednesday the 9th of September. The morning shows a 4ft swell from the S, with a 12 mph offshore wind from the NW. The energy is moderate (92). It’s clean. The afternoon is even better: a 4ft swell from the SSW, still with a 12 mph offshore wind, and the energy jumps to (106). It’s a moderate offshore, so the waves will be clean. This is the only time in the whole forecast where the swell is over 3ft, the wind is offshore, and the energy is decent. But it’s still a long way out, so keep an eye on it.

For the rest of it, the swell is too small and the wind is too strong. If you’re a beginner, the small days are fine, but you’ll be fighting the wind. Honestly, for a lot of the stronger wind days, the setup at Fortress looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer. The waves are just too weak and short to get excited about.

Rusty.

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