Fourth Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your board and listen up. This is Rusty, and I’m looking at what’s on the cards for Fourth Beach.

This is a run for experienced surfers only. We’ve got a solid run of strong, long-period groundswell lining up, but it’s not all clean. The water temp is sitting around 62°F, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The real standout is Thursday morning, August 6th. We’ve got a solid 10 ft swell from the SSW with a 16-second period – that’s proper groundswell with heaps of energy (4703). The wind is offshore from the north at 12 mph, keeping the faces clean. The combined energy is strong, so expect powerful, well-shaped sets. This is the pick of the whole forecast.

Wednesday afternoon, August 5th, is also a gem. The swell drops a touch to 8 ft, but the wind goes glassy from the SE at 3 mph. The ocean will be smooth as a mirror, and the wave energy is still pumping (3329). For clean, user-friendly conditions, this is a close second.

Friday morning, August 7th, starts with a 10 ft SSW swell and a 16-second period, but the cross-shore wind from the west at 16 mph will put a bit of chop on the surface. It’s still surfable for the experienced, but it’s not as clean as the days before.

Things get heavy and messy after that. From Friday afternoon through to the following week, we’re looking at strong onshore winds and building swell – we’re talking 15 ft to 18 ft between the 8th and 12th of August. The wind is brutal, and the wave energy is in the thousands (up to 13409), making it a washout. This is kite-surfing territory, not paddle surfing.

The pattern calms down again around Saturday morning, August 15th. The swell drops to 7 ft, the wind swings offshore from the WNW at 6 mph, and conditions are clean. The energy is moderate (1778), but it’s a solid, clean wave for the experienced crew.

Sunday morning, August 16th, is another good one. Clean 7 ft surf with a 14-second period and a moderate offshore breeze from the north at 12 mph. The energy is moderate (1474), but it’s a fun, clean session to wrap up the weekend.

For the long-range stuff, like Monday, August 17th, the morning looks clean with an 8 ft SSW swell and offshore WNW wind, but after two weeks out, temper your expectations. It’s promising, but not locked in.

So, to sum it up: Thursday the 6th is the best of the best. Wednesday the 5th is a close second for glassy conditions. The rest of the run is either too windy, too big, or a bit messy. Keep your eyes on the early part of the second week.

Rusty.

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