Fourth Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Fourth Beach. It’s a bit of a slow start, but there’s some real potential later on if you’re patient.

The first few days are a write-off, to be honest. Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th are all about strong onshore winds and messy, lumpy conditions. You’re looking at a SE wind howling in at 15 to 25 mph, just chopping everything up. The swell is there, around 8ft to 5ft from the SW, but it’s a frustrating, blown-out affair. You’d be better off doing something else.

Saturday the 29th is still rough. The wind eases a touch, but it’s a cross-shore breeze, and the swell is a weird mix. You’ll see a long-period groundswell of 21 seconds pushing in from the SSW, but it’s only 3ft to 3ft. The energy is low-moderate (943 to 1238), and it’s just not enough to get excited about. The afternoon might be a very marginal day, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.

Now, Sunday the 30th is where it all turns around. This is the standout. The wind swings around to a light NE breeze, coming offshore, and the sky clears. The swell from the SSW jumps up to a solid 8ft with a 19-second period, and the energy is pumping (4260). It’s going to be clean, lined up, and powerful. This is for experienced surfers only – that 8ft is no joke, and the long period means it’ll be a fair bit of work to get out. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

Monday the 31st starts clean with a fresh NNW offshore wind and 7ft swell, but it’s a bit all over the place with the wind shifting later in the day. Tuesday the 1st of September has a clean morning with a 8ft SW swell and a cross-off wind, but it gets messy in the arvo. Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd are a bit of a mixed bag with cross-shore winds and average shape.

Another big standout is shaping up for Friday the 4th of September. The morning looks excellent with a light WNW cross-off breeze and a solid 10ft SSW swell. The energy is strong (3199), and the conditions are clean. This is another one for the experienced crew.

Then… it gets insane. Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th of September, the swell is predicted to be way too big for Fourth Beach. We’re talking 18ft and 13ft swells from the SW. The energy numbers are massive (12035 and 7520), but it’s just not a paddle-in situation. It’s more of a watch-from-the-cliffs kind of day. The same goes for Monday the 7th and Tuesday the 8th of September – 18ft and 15ft swells with strong offshore winds. It’s a spectacle, but not for a surfboard.

After that, things settle down a bit. Wednesday the 9th and Thursday the 10th of September bring back manageable 10ft swells with clean conditions and good offshore winds. The best of the bunch is Thursday the 10th morning, with a gentle N offshore wind and that 10ft SSW groundswell. It’s an excellent, clean option for the experienced surfer.

So, to wrap it up: the first few days are a bust. Sunday the 30th of August and the morning of Thursday the 4th and 10th of September are your absolute best bets for a decent paddle. Get on it.

Rusty.

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