Fourth Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s cut to it. The next couple of weeks at Fourth Beach are a proper mixed bag, and honestly, the opening act is a bit of a write-off. We’ve got a big pulse of swell coming in, but the wind’s going to be howling from the west and southwest, tearing things to pieces.

Friday the 7th is where we start. The morning’s not much to write home about – you’ve got a 10ft SW swell but a moderate cross-shore breeze messing with it. The afternoon is the first real standout. The wind drops right out to almost nothing, leaving it glassy. The swell kicks in at 10ft from the SSW with a long 15-second period, and the energy is pumping at 3700. This is one for experienced surfers only – it’s a solid, powerful wave. If you're not confident in sizeable surf, this isn't your session.

Then the shutters come down. Saturday the 8th through Tuesday the 11th are a mess. We’re talking strong to near-gale cross-onshore winds, rain, and building swell that gets up to 18ft. The energy readings are insane – up to 17525 – but it’s all just a blown-out, lumpy chaos. This is not paddle surfing. If anything, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than getting a clean wave. Avoid the water.

Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th see the swell back off a bit to 15ft and then 12ft, but the wind is still cross-shore and messy. The problem isn't the wind so much anymore – it's that the swell is just too big for this break. It’s powerful and unruly, a bit too much for the average punter.

Now, Friday the 14th brings a change. The morning has a light offshore breeze from the north, and the swell's down to 12ft with a long 17-second period. The energy is moderate at 7359. It’s still big, but it’s clean. This is the pick of the week for the advanced crew. The afternoon goes a bit cross-on, so morning is your window.

The weekend of the 15th and 16th is where things start to get interesting for the rest of us. The swell drops significantly. Saturday the 15th has a 7ft SSW swell with a clean, moderate offshore wind in the morning. It’s a bit inconsistent, but the afternoon turns glassy with a 7ft swell. This is looking like excellent, clean surf for experienced surfers. Sunday the 16th is even better – the swell drops to 6ft and then 4ft, with fresh to moderate offshore winds from the north keeping it clean and glassy. This is the best run of surf we'll see, a solid window of quality waves.

Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th see the swell bounce back up to around 10ft with a long 16-17 second period, but the wind goes cross-shore or light offshore. It’s still rideable but a bit more challenging, and the quality is marginal.

Looking into the second week, things get less certain, but Thursday the 20th stands out. The afternoon has a 10ft SW swell with a light breeze, and the energy jumps to 7214. It’s a late-week call, but it has promise. The very end of the run, Friday the 21st and Saturday the 22nd, fades out with smaller, onshore slop.

So the two true standouts are the glassy 10ft surf on Friday afternoon the 7th for the experts, and then the clean, smaller conditions on Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th. Don't get caught out by the big, windy days in between. Water temp is sitting at 62°, which is right on the average for this time of year, so a decent wetsuit is your friend.

Stay safe out there.

Rusty.

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