Friendly Beaches Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s coming our way for Friendly Beaches over the next couple of weeks. Straight up, this is a patchy run, and we’ve got a bit of a wait on our hands before anything really gets going.

The start of the period is pretty grim. Tuesday and Wednesday are a write-off with poor cross-shore winds and messy conditions. The swell is small and weak, with energy readings barely ticking over (65). The water temperature is sitting at 57°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only bright spot.

We finally see a glimmer of hope on Thursday morning, the 20th of August. The wind swings to a cross-offshore from the northwest and we get a clean 7 ft NNE swell with moderate energy (854). This is the first real standout of the outlook. The afternoon cleans up even more with a light offshore breeze and a 5 ft swell from the same direction. This is your best bet for the first week—clean, friendly, and just right for a solid session.

Friday drops off fast. The swell backs right down to under 3 ft, and while the winds are light offshore, the waves just aren’t there. A bit of a lull sets in.

Then comes Saturday the 22nd of August. The morning is tiny, but hold onto your board—the afternoon delivers a proper surprise. We get a sudden jump in swell size to 4 ft, but the real story is the period: 16 seconds from the south, pushing through with very strong energy (601). That’s a long-period groundswell, and it’s hitting with a clean moderate offshore wind. This is the real standout of the whole forecast window. For a reef or point break this would be magic—just be aware that a beach break might see it a bit straight at times. Either way, this is the session to aim for.

Sunday and Monday are smaller again, with the swell fading and only ordinary conditions. There’s a gap of a few days here where the surf just isn’t worth the paddle.

By the end of August, things get wild, but not in a good way. The swell ramps up massively—10 ft on Sunday the 30th, and then 13 ft on Monday the 31st. The combined energy readings are enormous (1392 up to 2977). While the wind is offshore and clean on those days, that size is strictly for experts only. This is proper big-wave territory; beginners and even most intermediates should stay well clear. The setup might honestly look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing at that size.

After that monster run, the surf settles down into the start of September. Tuesday the 1st of September brings a very good 7 ft SSE swell with a clean offshore wind—another solid option for experienced surfers. The following days ease off nicely with clean, smaller waves in the 3 ft to 4 ft range and light offshore winds.

So, if you want my call: the absolute standout is Saturday afternoon, the 22nd of August. That combo of long-period groundswell, solid energy, and clean offshore wind is the one to circle. Thursday the 20th is your next best early option, and Tuesday the 1st of September is a promising but more distant possibility. Keep an eye on the forecasts—things can change.

Stay salty, Rusty.

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