Freshwater and Harbord Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's cookin' for this stretch.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with ya – the next week or so is lookin' pretty grim. We've got a real dry spell on our hands. From Saturday the 29th of August all the way through to Tuesday the 8th of September, it's just one poor report after another. The swell is tiny, the wind is mostly onshore or cross-shore, and the energy is just pathetic – the combined swell energy hangs around under 100 for most of that time, barely a ripple. You'd be chasing shadows out there.

There's a faint flicker on the morning of Sunday the 30th of August. The wind goes offshore from the northwest at a light 3 mph, making it clean, and we get a little 2 ft swell from the southeast. But at 9 seconds period, it's weak and gutless, only 117 combined energy. It's surfable if you're desperate for a paddle, but it’s not gonna get the heart racing.

Then we hit a proper dead zone. Monday the 31st of August through to Tuesday the 8th of September is a total write-off. Heights barely nudge 1 ft, and the energy is in the double digits. The wind stays mostly clean but it doesn't matter when there's no water moving. This is a stretch to wax up the longboard in the garage, not get wet.

Now, hold onto your leash, because things finally start to look interesting toward the end. Wednesday the 9th of September morning sees a big pulse of swell: 8 ft from the south-southeast. That's a serious number, but the combined energy jumps to 1186 – that's a lot of power. The wind is cross-offshore from the west-southwest at 16 mph, which will keep it reasonably clean, but at that size and with a 10-second period, it's gonna be a heavy, powerful wave. That's strictly for the experienced crew; beginners, stay on the sand.

Thursday the 10th of September is still big but messy. The swell is 8 ft in the morning, dropping to 7 ft in the afternoon, but the wind swings onshore from the south, making it lumpy and cross-choppy. Not the best.

Then we get to Friday the 11th of September morning. This is the standout. The swell drops to a much more fun 5 ft from the south-southeast, the combined energy is a solid 556, and the wind is a clean cross-offshore from the west-northwest at just 9 mph. That’s the recipe for clean, lined-up waves. The period is 10 seconds, which is a nice groundswell that will wrap in and give some decent shape. For the bigger-wave surfers, this is the session to target in this entire forecast.

After that, Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th of September see the swell fading back down to a more modest 5 ft then 3 ft, with mostly cross-off winds. Fun if you're out there, but nothing to write home about compared to that Friday morning.

Right, that’s the long and short of it. Keep an eye on that Friday the 11th of September morning – that's your best bet for a proper surf.

- Rusty.

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