Marley Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty.

Let’s break down the next couple of weeks at Marley, Garie-Point. It’s a slow start, but there’s a couple of real pumps coming through – you just gotta be ready.

The first few days are pretty flat and funky. Friday the 7th of August is a total write-off – tiny 2ft S swell with a cross-off wind, just messy and weak. Saturday the 8th has a brief window on the morning: 2ft S swell, 8-second period, with a light offshore from the WNW. It’s clean, but the energy is moderate (110), and the wave quality is ordinary at best. You could get a few knee-high runners, but don’t expect much.

Sunday the 9th brings a bit more size – 4ft from the ENE on the morning – but the wind is a cross-off from the NNW, and the 9-second period keeps it a bit lumpy. The energy bumps up to 225 (moderate), but it’s still marginal. Monday the 10th sees a strong offshore NW breeze at 25 mph with 5ft NE swell, but that wind is so strong it’s hard to paddle into. The energy is 391 (moderate), but it’s a battle.

The first real standout comes on Tuesday the 11th of August in the afternoon. You’ll get a 3ft S swell, 9-second period, with a light NNE breeze, and the energy is a solid 241 (moderate). The water temp is 63°, which is about average for this time of year. The conditions are clean, and it’s set to be a good session – not huge, but workable and fun on the point.

Then we hit a bit of a lull. Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th are poor, with Thursday morning seeing a jump to 8ft from the SSW, but the wind is a cross-off and the period is short at 8 seconds. The energy is massive (724), but it’s messy and not organised. Thursday afternoon the period stretches to 11 seconds, and the energy explodes to 1744 – that’s strong wave energy. But the wind is still cross-off, and the size is big enough to be for experts only over 8ft.

Friday the 14th of August is the best on offer in the first week. The morning has 8ft S swell, 12-second period, and energy of 1805 (very strong). The wind is a cross-off from the WSW at 15 mph. It’s clean, but it’s big – this is for experienced surfers only. The afternoon mellows a bit to 7ft with 11-second period and 910 energy, with a gentle breeze. The conditions are very good. This is a true standout for the period, but you need to be comfortable with solid, long-period groundswell on a point break. The long period (over 11 seconds) means better-shaped waves, longer gaps between sets, and easier paddling out, but at this size it’s a serious, powerful wave.

After Friday the 14th, things drop off. Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th are blown out by strong cross-onshore winds and rain. There’s a few days of small, messy surf until Wednesday the 19th of August, when a tiny 2ft ENE swell arrives with a light offshore in the morning – but it’s barely surfable, energy only 91 (weak).

The final standout comes on Friday the 21st of August. The morning brings 7ft ENE swell, 13-second period – that’s a very long period groundswell. The energy is 1504 (very strong), and the wind is a gentle offshore from the NW. Conditions are excellent for experienced surfers. This is a powerful, clean wave, but the long period means it might be a bit too straight at a beach break – at a point like Marley, it should line up nicely. The afternoon sees a similar size but a cross-shore wind, so the morning is the pick.

Saturday the 22nd of August has a final pulse of 10ft S swell, but the wind is light cross-onshore, and the period is short at 8 seconds. It’s marginal and only for those who really know what they’re doing.

So, the two true standouts are the afternoon of Friday the 14th of August and the morning of Friday the 21st of August. Both are solid, clean, and powerful surf for experienced crew. The first week’s standout is more reliable being closer in the forecast; the second week’s is promising but less certain, so keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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