Marley Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s talk surf.

First up, the whole 16-day window at Marley (Garie-Point) starts off pretty flat and ordinary. There’s a real dry spell at the beginning, with nothing worth paddling out for until Wednesday morning, August 25th. Before that, it’s a string of tiny, weak swells and mostly cross or onshore winds. The energy just isn’t there. But hang tight – there are a couple of moments that’ll get the heart rate up.

Wednesday morning August 19th: you could get wet, but it’s nothing to write home about. The swell is only 2ft out of the ESE at 10 seconds. The water temp is sitting at 64°F, which is bang on average for this time of year – no surprises there. Combined swell energy is a modest 165 – weak. Wind is light north, cross-off, but it’s barely enough to make those little waves interesting. Don’t get too excited.

Thursday and Friday, August 20th and 21st, are a similar story. Swell bumps up just a touch to 3-3ft from the NE/ENE, but the period drops to a woeful 6-7 seconds. Energy is weak, peaking at 78. Friday morning has clean offshore WNW wind, which is a nice touch, but the waves are still small and lack any punch. It’s surfable, but only just.

Saturday August 22nd and Sunday August 23rd: forget it. Swell drops to 1-2ft, wind swings onshore or cross, and the energy bottoms out at 28 to 56. These are days for a coffee, not a board.

Then we start to see a pulse. Monday morning August 24th brings a cleaner 2ft swell out of the south with a 9-second period and moderate offshore NNW wind – clean but tiny. Energy is 83. Still a warm-up.

Now, the standout: Tuesday morning August 25th at Marley (Garie-Point). This is where it gets real. Swell jumps to 5ft from the NE with a 7-second period – short period, but the energy is a solid 263 (moderate). The wind is light NW, offshore, and it’s clean. This is the first proper, surfable push of the whole forecast. The waves aren’t huge, but it’s a solid beginner-to-intermediate height, and the offshore wind will make for clean faces. Crowds are possible here at times, so don’t expect solitude. This is the best on offer for the first week.

Wednesday August 26th gets messy. Swell builds to 4ft from the SSW but then later that afternoon it jumps to 6ft from the south with howling SW wind at 25 mph and energy at 391 – but the conditions are terrible: heavy rain and strong cross-shore chop. Not worth it.

Thursday August 27th morning is for the experts only. A solid 10ft south swell at 10 seconds rolls in – very long period for a south swell, meaning it’ll have power and long lulls. Energy is massive at 1617 (strong). The wind is light SSW cross, so it’s not ideal – but for big-wave chargers at a point break like Marley, this could hold. This is a true highlight for experienced surfers. Thursday afternoon drops to 7ft but the cross-onshore ESE wind makes it lumpy.

Friday August 28th afternoon is another good call: 5ft from the SSE at 9 seconds, light WSW cross-off wind, energy at 381 – clean and surfable. Good for intermediates and up.

Then the second week gets wilder but messier. Saturday August 29th has a massive 11-12ft south swell with fresh cross-onshore S wind at 22 mph – energy hits 1783 (very strong). Only for experts, and even then, it’s lumpy. Sunday and Monday, August 30-31, remain big (7-6ft) but with poor cross-onshore winds.

Tuesday September 1st: a 6ft SE swell at 12 seconds – nice long period – but straight onshore SE wind. Energy is 837 (strong). Marginal at best.

Wednesday morning September 2nd is the final standout. The swell drops to 3ft from the SE at 8 seconds, but what makes this one special is the wind – absolutely glassy, light NE from the north-east, 3 mph. Energy is 216 (moderate). Clean, small, fun waves. Perfect for a longboard or a fish, and likely uncrowded. A nice way to end the run.

So overall: the first real surf comes on August 25th morning. The two true standouts are Tuesday August 25th morning (clean NE swell, 5ft, offshore) and Thursday August 27th morning (big 10ft south swell for experts). The second week has one glassy gem on September 2nd morning.

The gap before August 25th is about six days of barely rideable junk. Be patient.

Rusty.

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