Friendly Beaches Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll level with you straight up – the next couple of weeks are all about Friendly Beaches. That’s the only break that’s come up, so we’re working with what we’ve got. The water’s sitting at 57°F, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, so that’s a small win.

The surf window kicks off on Saturday the 29th of August with a very small start. Saturday morning is tiny with 1ft of S swell at 14 seconds. The combined energy is weak (159), so it’s barely a ripple. The wind is light offshore from the W though, making it clean, but you’ll be fighting for scraps. Saturday afternoon picks up slightly to 2ft, cross-off breeze from the WSW, and the energy bumps to moderate (200). It’s clean, but still pretty ordinary.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Sunday the 30th of August is the real standout of the first week. Sunday morning brings a solid 4ft of S groundswell with a very long period of 15 seconds. The combined energy is solidly moderate (690), and you’ve got a gentle offshore from the WSW. This is clean, has some push, and that long period will draw nice lines down the beach. If you can only paddle out one session, make it this one. Sunday afternoon drops back a little to 3ft, but it goes glassy with an ENE breeze at just 3 mph – an absolute dream for a late arvo session. That’s a true gem.

Monday the 31st of August is okay. Morning has 4ft at 11 seconds with a cross-off breeze, clean enough. But the afternoon turns to mush – cross-onshore from the NE and choppy. Give that a miss.

From Tuesday the 1st of September through to the end of the first week, it’s all downhill. The swell drops off, the periods get shorter, and the wind stays cross-off but the energy fades. Tuesday morning is 3ft and clean, but only 10 seconds and weak energy (216). It’s surfable but forgettable. Wednesday the 2nd of September has a tiny 1.0ft pulse of long-period S swell, but the energy is barely there (74) – not worth the walk.

The second week looks pretty grim until we hit Wednesday the 9th of September. That afternoon things turn around: 3ft of S swell at a very long 16 seconds, offshore from the WNW, and the energy jumps to moderate (387). Clean and promising. Then Thursday the 10th of September afternoon brings 4ft of S swell at 9 seconds with a gentle offshore from the WNW and moderate energy (476). Good conditions again.

The real second week highlight is Saturday the 12th of September morning. 7ft of SSE swell, but it’s only 6 seconds – that’s short period and messy. The offshore breeze from the WNW keeps it clean, but the energy is strong (506). This is getting into expert territory, though – 7ft is too big for beginners, and that short period will make it lumpy. It’s one for experienced surfers only, but the offshore wind is a big positive.

After that, Sunday the 13th of September drops back to 2ft and the window closes.

So the bottom line: Sunday the 30th of August morning is your best bet of the whole outlook – clean, solid 4ft, long period, and that gentle offshore. The second week is weaker all round, with the only moment of real size being Saturday the 12th of September morning, but that’s short period and strictly for experts.

Friendly Beaches is inconsistent as a spot, so this kind of patchy forecast is normal. It’s not looking amazing, but there are a couple of sessions worth suiting up for. The rest of the time, you’re better off cleaning your wetsuit.

Rusty.

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