Fortress Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

To be straight with you, the outlook is a tough one. We’re looking at a long stretch of very small, weak surf with average to poor conditions, so expectations need to be dialed right back. There’s a real gap in quality here, with nothing that screams "go-time" for the first week-and-a-half.

The forecast kicks off on Wednesday, the 26th of August, but it’s not good. We’ve got a tiny 2 ft swell from the SE with a short period of 9 seconds. The combined energy is a weak 44 (low energy), and while the wind is light and offshore, the surf is just too small and weak to get excited about. Wednesday afternoon and Thursday get a bit more wind, choppy, and still poor.

Friday the 28th of August is the first time we see a glimmer of something rideable. The morning has a 2 ft swell from the ESE with a light cross-offshore breeze. The wave energy is still low at 76 (moderate wave energy), and the score is just a 1. It’s surfable but very ordinary. The water temp is about average for the time of year.

We then fall into a flat spell from the 30th of August through to the 2nd of September, with swell dropping to 1 ft and very weak energy figures in the tens. Not worth paddling out for.

The next potential highlight is on Wednesday afternoon, the 2nd of September. Swell pushes to 2 ft from the SE, the period stretching to 11 seconds, and the combined energy finally hits a moderate 103 (moderate wave energy). The wind is light and cross-off, making for clean conditions. The score is a 1 again. It’s the best we’ve seen, but it’s still marginal.

The 3rd of September sees a morning onshore breeze with a 2 ft swell, but the energy is moderate at 122 (moderate wave energy). The afternoon goes cross-shore and choppy with a bumpy 3 ft swell from the ENE, but the period is a short 6 seconds, so it’s poor.

After that, from the 4th of September all the way through to the 10th of September, we’re back to small, weak, and mostly poor or choppy conditions. There’s a moment on Wednesday morning, the 9th of September, with glassy conditions and a 1 ft SE swell, but no energy to speak of at 28 (weak energy). A tease of a clean surface with nothing underneath.

The only true standout, if you can call it that, is the afternoon of Wednesday, the 2nd of September. The Fortress is a reef break, and with a bit of period and a clean cross-off breeze, it might offer a few fun ones for the beginners who just want to get wet. The swell direction is from the SE, which is not the optimum SE direction, but it’s the only real window in a very lean forecast.

Stay patient, it’s a quiet run for this spot.

Rusty.

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