Friendly Beaches Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the next couple of weeks.

Alright, so the first thing you gotta know is there’s a real dry spell to kick things off. From now until the end of the first week, the surf is pretty ordinary. The only real glimmer of hope is a short window late on Monday the 10th of August, which is the standout. Before that, and for a long stretch after, it’s gonna be a struggle to find anything worth paddling out for.

Friendly Beaches is the only game in town, and it’s an exposed, advanced spot—inconsistent, too, so you gotta pick your moments. The water is sittin’ at 57°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you might get away with a slightly thinner suit.

The best of the entire 16-day window is the afternoon of Monday, 10 August. The wind is blowin’ offshore, clean, and the swell is comin’ in from the NE at a solid 10 ft. That’s a big, powerful groundswell with a period of 10 seconds, and the combined energy is a massive 1759. That’s some serious juice. But listen, 10 ft is for experienced surfers only—this is not a day for learners. The break is a beach, so that long-period swell (10s is still decent) could be a bit sectiony, but with offshore winds, there will be some bombs.

Tuesday the 11th morning is still worth a look, with a drop to 6 ft NE swell, still clean with offshore winds from the WSW. The energy is still strong (651), but it’s a bit more manageable. The afternoon cleans up again with a cross-offshore breeze, though the swell drops to 5 ft. Wednesday morning the 12th, we get another offshore window, with 6 ft swell from the N, but the period drops to 8 seconds, so it’ll be a bit weaker and less organised.

Now, after that, it gets real quiet. From Thursday the 13th right through to the end of the 16 days, the swell is either tiny or the wind is all wrong. There are a few glassy mornings here and there, like Saturday the 15th morning with a 3 ft S swell and glassy conditions, but it’s just not enough to get excited about. The energy is weak (295), and the period is a short 10 seconds. It’s surfable but ordinary.

The long-range stuff, like the weekend of the 22nd, has some wind but the swell is all short-period junk from the NNE, less than 5 ft, and the wind is cross-shore. Not worth the drive.

So, if you’re after a proper session, circle Monday 10 August afternoon on your calendar. That’s your one and only true standout. The Tuesday morning is a decent backup. The rest of the fortnight is a write-off for decent surf. It’s a classic blank run for this area, but forecasts can change, so keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

Read more