Francis Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, and I gotta be straight with you – this forecast is a tough one. We’re looking at a 16-day window that’s pretty much a desert for surf at Francis Beach.

Right now, the water’s sitting at a very unusual 61°F, which is 7°F warmer than we’d expect for this time of year. That’s a real standout, but it’s about the only thing to get excited about. The surf just isn't cooperating.

We’re starting off with a solid gap. The first few days, from Wednesday the 26th of August right through the end of the month, are all showing poor conditions. The swell is tiny, mostly around 0.5 to 1 feet, and the wind is blowing cross-on from the NW, chopping everything up. The wave energy is weak, with values like 239 and 364, just not enough to get the board wet.

The first hint of something, and I mean a hint, comes on Sunday the 30th of August. The morning session is marginal, with a 3-foot SSW swell and a solid 16-second period, which is a long period groundswell. The wind is onshore from the WNW, so it’s not clean, but the energy bumps up to 871. That afternoon the swell jumps to 5 feet from the WNW, but it’s a short, weak 7-second period, so it’s not going to hold up. The surf is still described as "marginal or questionable."

Monday the 31st and Tuesday the 1st of September are back to the same old story – tiny, weak swells and poor conditions. The energy drops back to 389 and then 222.

We get another small window on the 4th of September, a Friday. The morning has a 2-foot SW swell with a 17-second period, and the wind is a light cross-on from the SW, giving us some small ripples. The energy is moderate at 681, and it’s the best score we see, but it’s still just a 2 out of 10. The afternoon is similar.

After that, from the 5th of September onwards, it’s a long, drawn-out run of poor surf. The swell stays tiny, mostly 1 to 3 feet, with variable directions but all from the NW to W. The wind is almost always a cross-on from the NW, keeping the surface choppy. The energy levels are all weak, under 500. For the last week, from the 5th to the 10th of September, there’s nothing to recommend. It’s a total blank run.

Honestly, for a beach break like Francis Beach, with consistent cross-onshore winds and weak swell, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. You’d be better off waiting for a change in the forecast. There’s no standout session in this whole window.

Rusty, signing out.

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