Guillotines Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. We’ve got a pretty quiet stretch ahead for the Guillotines, a point break that’s rated for advanced crew only and takes a south swell. The water’s sitting at 62°F right now, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The outlook over the next 16 days is a real desert. Right from the start, Sunday the 30th of August, the swell is tiny at 3ft from the south, with a light ENE cross-on breeze. It’s just not doing anything. The combined swell energy is a weak 130, and the waves are sloppy. Monday the 31st offers a glimmer early with glassy conditions and 3ft south swell, but the energy is still low (142) and the waves are just ordinary. That window is gone by the afternoon. From there, we’re looking at a long, dry spell. The rest of the week through to the 6th of September is a write-off: tiny waves under 3ft, messy cross-shore winds, and the energy value drops into the double digits or low triple digits. There’s a gap of about 8 to 9 days where there’s nothing worth paddling out for.

The first week of September brings a little more juice, but the quality is still poor. On the 6th, the swell bumps up to 4ft on Sunday morning, but it’s from the SSE with a short 7-second period and a cross-on breeze—choppy and messy. The afternoon sees a bigger 5ft NE windswell, but period drops to 5 seconds and the combined energy hits 236, yet it’s still poor surf. The wind is moderate cross-onshore. Not pretty.

The 11th of September (Friday) is the only real stand-out in the whole forecast, but it comes with a massive caveat. The morning shows a solid 6ft south swell with an 8-second period. The combined energy surges to 720—that’s strong energy. However, the wind is onshore from the NE at 6 mph. The swell is big enough to get the Guillotines working, but that 6ft is getting into the territory where it’s only for the experienced. The swell direction is south, which doesn’t match the optimum SE direction for this spot, so it’s a bit of a gamble. The afternoon sees a similar size drop to 5ft but the wind picks up to 16 mph cross-on, so it’s choppy. The morning is the only window here, and it’s a very short one.

After that, the 12th and 13th have some swell but the winds are all over the place—cross, cross-on, you name it. The energy is moderate (293 and 260), but the waves are just not clean. The 14th of September fades back into tiny onshore slop.

Bottom line: this is a tough 16 days. The Guillotines is an inconsistent spot at the best of times, and with this run of poor conditions, it’s a waiting game. The only real hope is for the very experienced crew to check the 11th of September morning, but it’s not a sure thing. For everyone else, save your energy. Forecasts can change, but right now, there’s not much to get excited about.

Rusty.

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