Glenelg Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you - this 16-day window for Glenelg Rivermouth is a real mixed bag, and honestly, it’s mostly a story of too much of a good thing. The old river mouth is a tricky spot, inconsistent at the best of times, and it’s an advanced wave on its day, but we’ve got a massive run of solid swell coming through that’s just going to be way too big for the break to handle. The water temp is sitting at 58.5°, which is about average for this time of year, nothing weird there.

We start off Monday the 3rd of August with a couple of days of poor, choppy, cross-on mess. Swell is already 6.9 ft on Monday morning from the SW with a long 16-second period, but the wind is howling from the WSW at 15 mph, just ruining it. That afternoon it jumps to 13.1 ft – way too big, and the wind is still ugly. Tuesday the 4th is the same story, 11.5 ft in the morning, dropping to 9.8 ft in the afternoon, but it’s still cross-on and messy. The combined energy is massive though – 3764 on Monday morning, 5313 that afternoon, 3356 Tuesday morning, 2485 Tuesday arvo – all moderate to strong energy, but the wind is the enemy.

Wednesday the 5th sees the swell drop to 6.2 ft, and the wind eases to a light WNW breeze at 6 mph, but it’s a cross-shore, making it only marginal. The swell period is still a solid 14 seconds, so there’s some push, but the conditions are just fair. The combined energy is 2135, still moderate. Thursday the 6th is similar, with 5.6 ft in the morning and a clean cross-off wind – that’s the best looking morning so far, but the score is still marginal. The afternoon gets messy again.

Now, Friday the 7th of August – this is where it gets interesting. Friday morning the swell is 9.8 ft from the SW with a 15-second period, and the wind is a light NW at 6 mph, making it cross-off and clean. The combined energy is a very strong 5092. That’s a solid, powerful groundswell, but it’s big. For the advanced crew, Friday afternoon is a real standout: the wind drops to glassy, 3 mph from the WSW, with a 8.2 ft SW swell, still 15 seconds. The combined energy is 4413, and the conditions are described as excellent for experienced surfers. That’s your best window right there, but it’s only for the experts – 8.2 ft is too big for beginners.

Saturday the 8th keeps the energy going. Morning has a 8.2 ft SW swell, 16 seconds, with a strong offshore N wind at 15 mph – that’s clean and powerful, with combined energy of 3001. The afternoon is a bit gustier with a 18 mph offshore, but still clean. Sunday the 9th starts with a 8.2 ft W swell, 10-second period, and a cross-off N wind, but the afternoon is a write-off with a 22 mph cross-on wind and a lumpy 11.5 ft swell.

Then we hit the real monster. From Monday the 10th of August onwards, the swell just goes nuts. Monday morning is 26.2 ft from the SW with a 16-second period – that’s a combined energy of 34096, which is incredibly strong. The wind is light, but the size is absolutely insane for the rivermouth. It’s way, way too big. This pattern continues for days: 24.6 ft, 16.4 ft, 14.8 ft, 19.7 ft, 21.3 ft – all with long periods and strong to very strong energy. The wind is often cross or cross-off, keeping it clean, but the wave heights are just monstrous. For a break that’s already inconsistent, this is just a mountain of water that won’t break properly and will be dangerous. It’s not surfable for anyone but the absolute elite, and even then, the rivermouth setup isn’t built for that.

There’s a slight easing towards the end of the second week. Saturday the 15th of August sees 9.8 ft, and Sunday the 16th has 7.9 ft in the afternoon – still big, but more manageable. The wind is light onshore/cross-on, so it’s not clean. The best of the late period is Tuesday the 18th of August, with a 16.4 ft WSW swell in the morning, 12 seconds, and a cross-off NNW breeze at 9 mph, making it clean. The combined energy is 7297, very strong. The afternoon jumps to 24.6 ft again, same wind, clean but massive.

So, the only true standout is Friday the 7th of August afternoon – glassy conditions, 8.2 ft SW groundswell, long 15-second period, and a clean, powerful wave for the experienced surfer. That’s where you want to be. The rest of the run is either too small and messy, or just way

Read more