Grinders Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, mate, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's shaking over the next couple of weeks.

First off, the water temp is sitting at 56°F, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The immediate outlook for Grinders is a bit of a slow burn. For the first chunk of the period, we're looking at small, average waves and a lot of "marginal" or "poor" labels. On Monday the 17th, there's a SW groundswell of 4ft with a very long 16-second period, so there's some decent energy in the water (677), but the wind is a light cross-on from the ESE, so expect a few bumpy ones. It's not a total write-off, but it's not the best we'll see.

The wind turns offshore on the 19th and 20th, but the swell drops way off, barely scraping 2ft. It's not worth paddling out for. We get a bit of a bump on Friday the 21st afternoon with a 3ft SW swell, 14-second period, and clean conditions under a gentle NW breeze. The energy is building (541), and the forecast says "very good," so that's a solid sneaky session.

Now, the standout for the first week is shaping up for Saturday the 22nd morning. The swell jumps to 5ft from the SW with a 16-second period, and the energy is pumping hard at 1073. It's a strong, powerful groundswell that will be hitting the exposed reef, which is ideal for this kind of setup. The wind is a variable cross-shore from the W, so it's not perfect, but the size and period will make for some solid, heavy waves. This one is for the advanced crew only. By the afternoon, the wind swings cross-on and gets choppy, so get in early.

Sunday the 23rd morning is another strong option. The swell is still a solid 5ft from the SW, with a 14-second period, and the wind turns cross-off from the WNW. The energy is still high at 996, and the forecast rates it "very good." Expect clean, lined-up waves, and crowds are a real possibility, as Grinders can get busy.

From the 24th, things settle down again with smaller, average surf. The next real blip comes on the 30th of August when a short-period S swell (8 seconds) pushes in around 6ft, but the cross-on wind and short period make it a messy, choppy affair. That one's more for the kite surfers than anyone else.

The real fire lights up at the very end of the period. On Monday the 31st of August, we get a 4ft SSW swell with a 14-second period and a massive energy reading of 1051. The wind is light and from the ESE, so it's a little cross-on, but the power is there. The real gem, though, is Tuesday the 1st of September. The morning shows a 3ft SW swell with a very long 17-second period, and the wind goes clean offshore from the NNE. The energy is solid at 651, and the forecast says "very good." The afternoon is even better with the swell pushing 4ft and the same clean offshore wind. This is the pick of the whole forecast: clean, offshore, lined-up, long-period SW groundswell at a wave that loves that direction. It's a promising one, but keep in mind we're looking at a long-range call, so don't book the trip just yet.

Overall, the biggest window of opportunity is Saturday the 22nd morning and Sunday the 23rd morning, with a real standout potential on Tuesday the 1st of September.

Rusty.

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