Freights Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Freights. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, but let’s get into it.

The first few days are a no-go for decent surf. We’ve got a gap right through Monday the 27th and Tuesday the 28th with poor conditions and really ordinary waves. The wind is a factor, and the swell is short-period and weak. Monday afternoon the 27th, you’ll see a 3ft swell from the ENE at 8 seconds, but with a risk of thunderstorms and a onshore breeze, it’s just not worth paddling out. The combined energy is only 158, so it’s weak.

Tuesday the 28th is even worse, with a 5ft to 5ft short-period ENE swell and a cross-offshore wind that’s still too strong to make it clean. Scores are flat zero. Don’t bother.

Wednesday the 29th through Thursday the 30th sees a jump in size, but it’s a tough call. The swell hits 7ft to 8ft from the E and ENE, with a period of 8 seconds. That’s a moderate energy swell (559 to 736), and the wind is offshore, which is a positive. But the conditions are described as marginal, with scores of 1 or 2. The water temperature is a warm 83°, which is about 0.5° above normal for this time of year, so nothing unusual there. Freights is a point break that “rarely breaks,” so to see it working at all is notable. It’s exposed to the swell, and the optimum swell direction is ESE, so this E/ENE swell is a little off-angle. The crowd profile says “often,” so you’ll have company. For a beginner, 7ft is on the bigger side, but given the offshore wind and the point setup, it could be rideable for the more experienced. Friday the 31st and Saturday the 1st of August drop back to 4ft to 6ft, with cross-offshore winds, but still only marginal.

The standout here is Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th. The offshore wind (E at 22 mph) is the big draw, making the surface clean despite the size. The 8ft swell from the E at 8 seconds is moderate energy, and because it’s a point break, the short period isn’t as much of a problem. It’s the best on offer, but keep in mind the crowds and the fact it rarely breaks. If you want clean, punchy waves, this is it.

Then we hit a lull. Sunday the 2nd of August through to the 5th of August is a dry spell. Swell drops to 1.0ft to 4ft, with combined energy down to 32 to 197. The wind is cross-offshore, but there’s just no power. A blank run of four days.

Things pick up again on Thursday the 6th of August, with a 5ft swell from the E, but the period is a short 6 to 7 seconds and the wind is a fresh cross-offshore breeze. The energy is 225 to 278, but the conditions are poor. That continues through to Friday the 7th, with a 6ft swell, but still poor.

The second standout is actually Saturday the 8th of August. The swell drops to 4ft to 5ft from the E, with a period of 7 seconds. The wind goes offshore (E at 16 to 19 mph), and the forecast says “expect good surf conditions.” The combined energy is 234 to 279, which is moderate. It’s a cleaner, more manageable day than the earlier bigger swell. For a point break that rarely shows, this is a solid session. Crowds are likely, so get there early.

Sunday the 9th and Monday the 10th of August are a bit messy. The swell builds back to 7ft to 8ft from the ENE, with a fresh offshore wind, but the conditions are marginal again. The energy is strong (512 to 561), but the quality isn’t there. Tuesday the 11th of August drops back to 6ft to 6ft, with offshore wind, but still only marginal.

Overall, the best windows are the 29th and 30th for the bigger, clean offshore surf, and the 8th of August for a cleaner, more manageable size. Don’t expect much else in between.

Rusty.

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