Freshwater Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it for Freshwater Bay.

Look, I’m going to be straight with you – this is a tough stretch. We’re looking at a long, frustrating run of nothing much happening. The first recommendation for a surf doesn’t even show up for over a week, so we’re staring at a pretty big gap of flat or junk conditions from now until early August. It’s one of those spells where you might as well sort your gear or find something else to do.

The setup really kicks off on the morning of Wednesday, August 7th. That’s the first bit of promise. Freshwater Bay will see a pulse of swell with waves around 6 ft, coming from a mix of WSW and E directions. The energy is moderate (223 combined energy), and the period is a short 6 seconds, so it’s a bit of a windswell mess. It is a reef and point setup, so it can handle a bit of a dodgy swell, but it’s not going to be a thing of beauty. The wind is light cross-off, so it will be clean, but the quality is only marginal. This is a spot for intermediate surfers, but with that size, it’s getting too big for beginners.

The next day, Thursday, August 8th, holds a similar story. Morning waves are 6 ft (253 combined energy), also from the WSW with a short period. The wind is a light cross-on, which will put a bit of a bump on the face. The water temperature is around 69°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – a full 8° above average. That’s unusual, so you can leave the thick wetsuit at home.

The real standout, if you can call it that, is on the afternoon of Friday, August 9th. The swell is 6 ft (223 combined energy) from the WSW, but the wind clocks solidly offshore from the north. At 6 mph, that’s a clean, groomed wave. The period is still short (6 seconds), so it’s not going to have that long, rolling power, but the offshore will make it the most rideable of the whole outlook. The crowd here is “sometimes,” so expect a few others with the same idea, but it shouldn’t be a zoo.

After that, we trail off back into the small stuff. Saturday, August 10th, shows a bit more swell (6 ft) but with a bumpy cross-on wind, and then it’s all downhill from there. The wind goes back onshore or gets too strong, and the swell drops out.

To be honest, this whole run is a bit of a bummer. The energy is weak to moderate at best, and the consistency is mostly “inconsistent” until that final week. For a beach and reef setup, those short-period swells and bumpy winds make it look more interesting for kite surfing than a proper paddle session. But hey, the forecasts can change, and it tends not to stay this poor for long.

Keep your eyes on that Friday the 9th afternoon. That’s your window.

- Rusty

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