Gallows Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming down the pipe for the next couple of weeks.

First off, water temps are sitting about average for this time of year, so nothing freaky there. The main event here is Gallows, a reef and point setup that only the advanced crew should be looking at. It's fairly consistent, but it's also exposed and can get packed.

We start off quiet. Tuesday the 11th is a write-off with tiny swell and junky onshore wind. Honestly, don't even bother. Wednesday the 12th morning is where it gets interesting. The wind goes totally glassy, dead calm, and we get a clean 3ft pulse from the SSE with a period of 11 seconds. The energy is moderate (219), and the conditions are described as good. That's a very short window of clean, workable waves, but it's the first real glimmer.

After that, it gets nasty. From Thursday the 13th right through to Sunday the 23rd, it's a solid two-week stretch of poor surf. The wind is mostly cross-on or onshore, and the swell gets messy. Even when the swell height bumps up to 8ft on the 18th, with that strong energy (1843), the wind is onshore and the period is short, making it a choppy, blown-out mess. That's kite-surfing territory, not paddle surfing. The conditions are just poor, day after day.

Then, finally, we get a standout. Monday the 24th of August morning. The wind swings offshore from the NNW at 12 mph, cleaning up a 4ft swell from the east with a 10-second period. The energy is moderate (277) and the forecast says "expect good surf conditions". That offshore wind on a reef and point like Gallows? That's a true highlight. It's the best on offer in the whole run, but it's a long way out, so keep an eye on it.

Then, another glimmer to close out the forecast. Wednesday the 26th morning goes dead calm, glassy again, with a 4ft SSE swell. Another clean, quiet session for the early birds.

So, the bottom line: there's a couple of tiny windows of goodness – Wednesday the 12th morning, and the standout on Monday the 24th morning, with a possible glassy session on the 26th. The rest of the time, you're better off waxing your longboard or checking the wind forecast for kiting. It's a long wait for those few clean hours.

Rusty.

Read more