Freshwater and Harbord Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’re looking at a long window for Freshwater, and honestly, the first week and a half is a bit of a grind. The pattern is flat and weak, with a lot of tiny, short-period leftovers that just aren’t going to do much. We’ve got a solid run of days with swell heights barely cracking 0.7ft or 1ft, and the combined energy is often in the low teens or single digits. That’s just not enough to get excited about. The winds are mostly clean, which is a tease, but the ocean is basically asleep. The water temp is sitting at 64°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first real glimmer of hope shows up on Saturday the 1st of August. We’ve got a jump in swell to 5ft out of the SSE, and the combined energy hits 525 (moderate). The problem is the wind is a messy cross-shore and cross-onshore, making it choppy. The model says poor surf conditions, so I’d sit tight.

Then on Sunday the 2nd of August morning, things look a little more interesting. The swell drops slightly to 4ft, still from the SSE, but the wind goes light offshore from the NW. That’s a major positive. The combined energy is 346 (moderate). The comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” which is a step up from the rest, but it’s not the standout. The crowd potential is “often,” so you’ll have company.

Now, the standout. The best on offer is the morning of Monday the 10th of August. After a long, drab period, we get a clean 6ft ENE swell with a light cross-offshore breeze from the NNW. The combined energy hits 531 (moderate), and the forecast explicitly says “expect good surf conditions.” That’s the one we’ve been waiting for. The swell direction (ENE) is a good match for the optimal direction, and the clean conditions will make it a proper session. The crowds are “often” here, so expect a few others with the same idea.

The second standout is the morning of Tuesday the 11th of August. The swell gets bigger to 8ft out of the NE, with a very strong combined energy of 1573 (strong). The wind is offshore from the WNW. That’s a solid, powerful swell, but at 8ft, it’s getting into expert-only territory and might be too much for a standard beach break. Still, for the crew who can handle it, that’s a serious morning.

There’s a long gap of dead days from the start of the forecast all the way to the 1st of August, so a solid week of nothing. Then a few average days before the real action on the 10th and 11th.

Rusty.

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