Fortress Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, surf’s up? ... Well, not really. I’m lookin’ at the next two weeks for Fortress and honestly, it’s a tough stretch. This is a reef setup that’s wide open to the elements, and for the vast majority of the forecast period, we’ve got junk conditions. From now through to early next week, it's a real flat spell. The energy is weak (combined swell energy values are mostly in the 30s to 60s range), wind’s messy, and the swell is just not there. You’ve got a stretch from Wednesday the 2nd all the way through to early in the second week where the best you can do is a score of 1 out of 10 on a couple of isolated mornings. Monday the 7th morning sees a tiny 2ft easterly swell at 11 seconds, but it’s a groundswell, and with light cross-off wind it’s clean, but there’s barely enough push to stand up. Then Friday the 11th afternoon gives you a similar story – clean but tiny.

It’s not until later in the second week that something shows a pulse. On Thursday the 17th morning, we finally see a push of 6ft easterly swell with a period of 6 seconds. That’s short-period windswell, so the quality likely won’t be anything to write home about, but we get a gentle offshore wind out of the west, so the surface could be clean. The combined energy (186) is moderate, so there's a bit of grunt there, and that offshore wind will be a major positive, making it at least rideable. It’s still pretty small for this kind of exposed reef – not really a standout, but it’s the best we’ve got in the whole outlook. For the first break I mention, water temps are about average for this time of year.

Look, if you’re a kite surfer and there’s any decent wind, this open setup might be fun, but for a standard paddle surfer, this is a bleak 16-day forecast. The odds of a blank run like this are more normal for the area when the swell window is quiet. Don’t hold your breath – forecasts can change, but right now, I’d keep the boards in the car for better days.

Rusty.

Read more