4 Mile Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you—looking at this stretch ahead, we’ve got a lot of marginal days where you’ll be scratching your head, but there is one clear window that’s worth circling on the calendar. The first week is all about small, messy, cross-shore slop at Four Mile, and honestly, it’s more of a “sit on the beach and squint” situation than a paddle-out. The swell’s there, but the wind keeps chopping it up. We start with a small 3ft south swell on Tuesday morning, but that light cross-onshore breeze puts a few ripples on it, and the energy is only moderate (435). By Tuesday arvo, it’s blown out. Wednesday and Thursday stay small, in the 1ft to 3ft range, with that long 17-19 second period, but the wind is either cross or cross-on, so it’s bumpy. The energy ticks up a bit Thursday (639 to 724), but it’s all for nothing with the onshore chop. Friday and the weekend see the swell hanging around 3ft, dropping to 2ft, but the NW wind gets fresh, especially Saturday arvo at 30 km/h, making it lumpy and just plain ugly. This is a classic case of poor surf quality. If you’re a kiter, this stretch is more your go—those cross-shore winds and small waves will get you moving, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a write-off.

There’s a bit of a ramp-up Monday the 14th and Tuesday the 15th, with the swell pushing to 4ft and 5ft, but that’s still a short-period 8-second wind swell, and the winds are cross-shore, meaning it’ll be sectiony and blown. That Tuesday morning the 15th might have a couple of corners, but it’s for the desperate. The energy is moderate (517). The rest of that week drops back down, with small 2ft to 2ft swells and light to moderate cross-shore breezes. It’s a grind, and by now we’re over a week out, so I wouldn’t bank on anything. The long-period SSW pulses (16-19 sec) keep trying to push through, but the winds just don’t give us a break. It’s frustrating, real frustrating.

Now, here’s the standout—and it’s a beauty. On the morning of Monday the 21st of September, we finally get a break. The wind goes glassy, a light 5 km/h S breeze, and that SSW swell is still a modest 3ft but with a clean 17-second period. The energy is moderate (515), but the conditions are pristine. The forecast calls for “very good surf conditions,” and that’s the one window, the real diamond in the rough. Four Mile is a point break, and with that long period, it will line up nicely. The water temp is about 60°, which is pretty standard for this time of year, so don’t expect any surprises there. Crowds are always a possibility at a spot like this, so get in early. This is the pick of the whole run, two weeks out, so treat it as promising but not a lock—keep your eyes on the charts. The arvo on the 21st gets chopped up by a NW wind, so it’s a dawn patrol mission, no doubt. After that, we’re back to the same old story—small, cross-shore slop through the 22nd and 23rd. So there you have it, one solid window, a lot of blown-out junk. I’ll be watching that Monday morning real close.

Rusty.

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