4 Mile Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

The next 16 days are a bit of a mixed bag for 4 Mile. We’re looking at a long stretch of small, messy surf with barely a standout window. The best of what’s on offer comes right at the back end of the forecast, so you’ll need to be patient.

Right now, the water temp is sitting at 60°, which is pretty much bang on average for the time of year, so no need to dig out the thickest rubber just yet.

The week starts off with a bit of south swell on Monday the 7th, around 4ft but with a long 13-second period. The combined energy is moderate (668). The morning shows very light wind from the WSW – that’s glassy, offshore stuff, which is a major positive and will keep it clean. However, the overall guidance says it’s marginal, so don’t expect perfection. That afternoon, the wind swings more WNW and picks up, putting a cross-shore chop on the 4ft swell.

Tuesday and Wednesday see the swell drop off fast. We’re talking 3ft or less, with a mix of cross-on and cross-shore winds. The energy is still moderate (435 to 349) but the quality isn’t there. Thursday the 10th through the 12th is a bit of a slog – small SSW swell around 3ft to 3ft, with a moderate period, but the wind is mostly cross or cross-on, keeping things choppy. The energy is moderate (636 to 642). Saturday the 12th afternoon has a bump in size to 5ft, but the period drops to a short, weak 8 seconds and the wind is a fresh 30 km/h cross-shore. That’s a lumpy, poor setup – more for kite surfers than paddle surfers at that point.

The second week rolls in with more of the same. From Sunday the 13th through to the 19th, it’s mostly small, short-period WNW swell, rarely over 4ft, with periods between 7 and 9 seconds. Energy stays moderate (300 to 500 range). The wind is almost always a moderate cross-shore, so the surface is never really clean. There’s a long stretch of days where the forecast is consistently poor or marginal.

Now, the real standout comes late. On Monday the 22nd of September, the morning shows a 5ft WNW swell, with the period jumping to 11 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The combined energy is strong at 844. Yet the wind is a light cross-on from the WNW, so it’s not perfect, but it’s the best pulse we’ve seen. The afternoon of the 22nd is even bigger: 5ft from the WNW, still with an 11-second period, and the energy hits 1025 – that’s a strong, powerful swell. The wind is a light cross-shore. This is the pick of the forecast. Keep in mind, though, this is a long-range call, so it’s promising but not locked in yet. The 4 Mile is a point break, so that long-period groundswell should line up nicely, offering some proper shaped waves with good gaps between sets.

Overall, if you’re desperate for a paddle, the mornings of the 7th or the 22nd are your best bets. The rest of the time, leave the board in the shed.

Rusty.

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