Fourth Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here.

Right off the bat, the next couple of weeks look pretty average for Fourth Beach. The swell’s around most of the time, but the wind and conditions keep getting in the way, and then it gets too big for the place. There’s nothing really screaming at you for the first week, so if you're keen, you're chasing windows, not a solid run.

Friday morning is your first real look. There’s a solid 5ft SSW groundswell rolling in at 16 seconds, and the energy’s moderate at 1305. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the NNE at 9 mph, holding the waves open and clean. Water temp is 62°F, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing wild there. The swell direction is working for the break, but it's not a standout, just the best of a patchy run. The afternoon gets a bit messy as the wind swings onshore and picks up, so get out early.

Saturday morning is blown out with a strong cross-offshore WNW wind at 25 mph. It's clean but way too windy for good surfing. The swell drops slightly to 5ft but the wind will tear it up. Saturday afternoon is cross-onshore and choppy, forget it.

Sunday has a bit more size, 6ft, but the wind is cross-shore and creating a chop. Not great, not terrible, just mushy and hard to find a good bank. It's a beach break, so with that period around 14 seconds, it might be breaking a bit straight.

Monday’s the big one for size, but the conditions are poor. The swell jumps to 8ft in the morning, with strong energy at 2744, but the cross-onshore wind is making it lumpy. By the afternoon it’s 10ft and the wind is fresh and onshore – that’s a mess. Too big and too blown out for a fun paddle.

Tuesday and Wednesday see the swell back down to 6ft to 7ft, and the wind is cross-offshore. It’s clean, but still not great shape. The period drops to 14 seconds, and it’s just sort of average. If you’re desperate, Tuesday morning with that ENE cross-off at 19 mph might be your best bet, but it’s still just a marginal call.

Thursday morning is the last decent look before things go quiet. The swell is down to 4ft and the wind is offshore from the NNW at 19 mph. It’s fresh and clean, but the swell is weak, with energy down at 678. It’ll be small and maybe a bit slow.

Then we hit a poor stretch. Friday and Saturday see weak, messy swell and strong winds. Saturday afternoon though, the swell is predicted to be way too big at 15ft. That’s not a paddle situation; it’s a hold-your-breath and hope-you-don't-get-washed-in situation. The energy is strong at 5042.

The following week is mostly too big and blown out. There’s a huge pulse on Sunday the 20th with 18ft of SSW swell at 18 seconds, and massive energy at 19243. The wind might be light, but that size is only for experts, and even then, it’s a beach break, so it's going to be a washing machine. Don’t even think about it.

After that, we've got days of 10ft-plus surf with poor winds. The swell stays big and messy. There’s a brief look on Thursday the 24th afternoon when the wind drops to a light cross-on, but the swell is still 8ft and the energy is strong. It might be the least bad option, but it’s not good.

The long-range stuff from the 21st onwards is all too big for this spot. The break just can't handle that size. Keep an eye on the charts, but I wouldn’t be planning my week around it.

Rusty signing off.

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