Freshwater West Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, I’ll level with you, this 16-day stretch for Freshwater West is a tough one. We’ve got a few windows, but most of the time it’s just onshore grumble or flat spells. Let me walk you through it, and I’ll point out where it’s worth getting wet.

The first sniff of anything rideable is on Sunday morning, the 23rd of August. It’s only 1ft of swell from the SW, with a period of 14 seconds – that’s a long-period groundswell, which means the waves will have some shape but the sets will be spaced out. The wind is a light offshore from the ENE, so it’ll be glassy and clean. Water temp is 63°, which is about 2° warmer than usual for this time of year – not a big deal, just a touch on the mild side. The combined energy is weak at 47, so don’t expect much push. It’s surfable but very ordinary – a real micro-session.

After that, it goes quiet. From Sunday afternoon all the way through to Wednesday morning the 27th, it’s either flat or just junky little windswell with poor winds. There’s a gap of several days with nothing worth paddling out for.

Thursday morning, the 27th of August, the swell bumps up to 6ft from the SSW, but it’s short-period stuff at 8 seconds and the wind is cross-onshore from the SW. The combined energy is moderate at 352, but the conditions are messy. The afternoon stays similar – 5ft, cross-onshore, just choppy. Not the day.

Friday morning, the 28th of August, offers a cleaner look. Swell drops to 3ft from the SSW, still a short 7-second period, but the wind swings offshore from the ENE at 9 mph. It’ll be clean, but the energy is weak (114). It’s surfable, but nothing to get excited about. The afternoon gets blown out.

Then from the 29th into early September, it’s a write-off – strong onshores, rain, and messy seas.

There’s one big outlier way out in the forecast. Friday morning, the 4th of September – we see a big jump to 10ft from the WSW with a 9-second period. The combined energy is massive at 1486, that’s strong wave energy. But the wind is onshore from the WSW at 9 mph, and the status says “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions”. This is solid, powerful swell, but the wind is not your friend. If it cleans up, it’s for experts only – 10ft is big, and that kind of energy at a beach-and-reef setup like Freshwater West will be heavy. The Saturday and Sunday that follow are all blown out with strong cross-onshore winds.

So, the honest truth? The best on offer is that Friday morning, the 28th of August – just for the clean conditions and a bit of knee-to-waist high surf. It’s not a standout by any means, but it’s the only window where the wind gives you a break. As for the big swell on the 4th of September – keep an eye on it, but it’s a long way out and the wind forecast needs to flip for it to be any good.

Keep your wetsuit handy, but don’t be surprised if you’re watching from the sand more than surfing.

Rusty

Read more