Fourth Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's get into this. This is Rusty, and we’re looking at a solid 16-day window for Fourth Beach.

Fourth Beach is an advanced-level spot, and it’s a consistent one, which is good news because there’s plenty of action on the cards, but we’ve got to pick the right moments. The water temp is sitting at 61°F, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first real standout window kicks off on Saturday the 22nd. Friday the 21st is a write-off with messy, cross-onshore wind. But Saturday morning brings a moderate offshore breeze from the NNE, cleaning up a 7ft SSW groundswell, and the energy is solid at 2997. It’s going to be clean and punchy for experienced crew. Then Saturday afternoon gets even better – the wind goes glassy, the swell bumps up to 8ft from the SSW with a long 16-second period, and the energy is still high at 2648. That’s your top pick of the early run, no question. It’s going to be excellent.

Sunday the 23rd drops off quickly with onshore wind and rain, so don’t bother.

The next real highlight is Tuesday the 25th in the afternoon. After a messy morning, the wind goes glassy again, with a 6ft SW swell and a very long 16-second period. The energy is 1988 – moderate but clean, clean, clean. That’s a session for the connoisseur.

Wednesday the 26th is a beast, but you need to be careful. The afternoon shows a massive 12ft SW swell with a 19-second period and combined energy of 8246 – that’s very strong. But the wind is a moderate cross-shore, and at that size, it’s only for experts. It might be too much for the break and could be more of a kitesurfing show than a paddle session.

Thursday 27th and Friday 28th are blown out with strong onshore winds. Give them a miss.

Then we move into the second week. Sunday the 30th is a beauty. Morning brings a gentle offshore breeze from the north, cleaning up a 6ft SSW groundswell with a very long 19-second period, and the energy is a strong 3616. Then the afternoon goes glassy with a 8ft SSW swell, 17-second period, and energy at 3814. That’s another standout, but it’s a week away, so keep an eye on it.

Tuesday the 2nd of September is promising. Morning has a moderate offshore from the NNW, tidying up a 7ft SSW swell with a 15-second period. The afternoon holds a 8ft SSW swell with a clean cross-offshore breeze. Both sessions have good energy around 2000-2900. That’s a solid day for experienced surfers.

After that, Thursday the 3rd gets hammered by strong cross-onshore wind, and Friday the 4th has a big 10ft swell but with tricky onshore and cross-onshore wind – it’ll be lumpy and messy, possibly too big and ugly.

To sum it up: the absolute best on offer are Saturday the 22nd afternoon and Sunday the 30th afternoon – both have glassy conditions with solid, long-period SSW groundswell. Don’t sleep on Tuesday the 25th afternoon either for a cleaner, smaller session. Crowds at Fourth Beach can be an issue sometimes, so get in early if you can.

Rusty.

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