Freshwater and Harbord Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, straight up, this is a tough run for Freshwater and Harbord. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing much on offer, so if you’re itching for a paddle, you’ll need to be patient. The first real chance of anything decent doesn’t roll in until Friday the 28th of August, and even then it’s a one-session window.

Let’s start with the early part of the week. Wednesday the 26th is a write-off – 19 mph cross-onshore winds and rain, with a weak 4 ft NE swell at 8 seconds. The combined energy is only 151 (weak), and it’s just lumpy, poor quality. Thursday is even smaller, down to 2 ft, and the wind stays on it. A few days of nothing.

Friday the 28th of August is where you need to be in the water first thing. The morning at Freshwater looks clean with a slight offshore from the WSW, glassy conditions. That SSE groundswell comes in at 5 ft with an 11-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 667 (moderate). That’s the standout of the whole outlook. The swell direction is SSE, and with the optimum for this sheltered spot being ENE, it’s a bit of a cross-up, but the size and clean conditions should still offer some fun, lined-up waves. Afternoon though, the wind swings SSE and gets up to 12 mph, turning it choppy again.

Saturday the 29th is a step back. The swell drops to 5 ft but it’s cross-onshore and lumpy – not worth the effort. Sunday the 30th sees the swell fade to 2 ft, but the morning is glassy with a WSW breeze. Combined energy is just 124 (weak), so it’s small and ordinary.

From Monday the 31st of August right through to the 10th of September, it’s a desert. Swell heights hover around 0.7 ft to 2 ft, mostly with poor energy. Even when the wind goes offshore from the NW on a few mornings, there’s just not enough swell to work with. The combined energy values are all below 100 (weak) for most of that second week. The 5th of September afternoon sees a sudden spike to 5 ft from the south, but it’s only 6-second period windswell with 16 mph cross-onshore wind – a choppy mess, better for kite surfers than paddle surfers.

So, bottom line: if you’re keen, your only real window is the morning of Friday the 28th of August. After that, it’s a long wait with little to no surf for the next week and a half. The spot is sheltered and can be inconsistent, and this run proves it. Forecasts can always change, but for now, it’s a quiet spell. Keep an eye on the sky.

Rusty.

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