Fourth Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s comin’ down the line for Fourth Beach. This is a wave that’s gonna be a bit of a handful – it’s an advanced spot, so it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s fairly consistent, which gives us a few shots to work with, but the swell’s gonna be a big one for a while.

We’ve got a massive pulse of energy headin’ our way. The first solid window kicks off on Friday, the 31st of July in the afternoon. The swell is pushin’ 8 ft from the SSW with a very long period of 17 seconds. That’s proper groundswell, and the combined energy is a massive 3428 – that’s a lot of power in the water. The wind is a light breeze from the NNW, blowin’ cross-off, so the face should be clean. This is excellent for experienced surfers, but don’t you dare take a foamie out here. The water’s sittin’ at 62°F, which is pretty average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Saturday the 1st and Sunday the 2nd of August are a write-off. The wind swings onshore with a fresh breeze, and the swell is still big, but the conditions are just gonna be lumpy and messy. Not worth paddlin’ out.

Things start to look a bit more promising on Monday the 3rd of August. The morning is still a bit marginal with a Northerly cross-off, but the wind drops to a moderate breeze out of the NNE in the afternoon, and it goes offshore. The swell drops to 5 ft from the SSW at 15 seconds, and the energy is a moderate 1068. That’s clean and manageable for the advanced crew.

Now, if you’re lookin’ for the real standouts, keep your eyes on the afternoon of Wednesday, the 5th of August, and the afternoon of Thursday, the 6th of August. On Wednesday, the swell is 8 ft from the SSW, period of 16 seconds, with a combined energy of 3738. The wind? Glassy. Absolutely dead calm from the SE. That’s about as clean as it gets. On Thursday, it’s a similar story: 8 ft out of the SSW, 17 seconds, 3899 energy, and again, glassy as a mirror with a WNW breeze. Those are the sessions you want to be on.

We’ve got another big pulse of swell comin’ in from the 9th of August onwards, but it’s just too big for Fourth Beach. We’re talkin’ 23 ft on the 9th, and the energy blows past 20,000. That’s kite-surfing territory, not paddle surfing. The wind is cross-shore and messy, so leave the shortboard at home.

The forecasts get a bit more promising again toward the end of the second week. Tuesday, the 11th of August has a clean morning with a 8 ft SSW swell and a light offshore from the NNW. Energy is 2611, and the conditions are excellent for experienced surfers. The afternoon holds up too, with a similar swell and a light cross-off breeze.

Keep in mind, the swell stays big and powerful through the 12th and 13th, with a lot of those sessions flagged as too big for the break, so it’s a bit of a gamble. The 14th and 15th are also massive, with 23 ft swell on the 15th, so unless you’re a pro, it’s a spectator event.

Best bet: Wednesday the 5th of August afternoon and Thursday the 6th of August afternoon for the glassy, clean, long-period groundswell. That’s your winner.

Rusty.

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