Haggerty's Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Look, I’ll level with you – the next two and a half weeks at Haggerty's are a real mixed bag. We’re talking a long stretch of tiny, messy swell and wonky winds, with only a few windows where it all comes together. The first solid recommendation doesn’t pop up until Sunday morning the 30th of August, and then there’s another decent chance on Friday the 4th of September. That’s nearly a week of waiting between the two real standouts. The water’s sitting at 71°F – that’s 5°F warmer than normal for this time of year, so it’s noticeably warm. Feels like a late summer treat.

Let’s break it down. From now right through till Saturday the 29th of August, it’s mostly a write-off. Swell is tiny – between 1 ft and 2 ft – with poor winds and choppy conditions. The energy is weak, barely hitting triple digits (181 on Sunday the 23rd, for example). You’ll see a few mornings with clean-ish conditions, like Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th, but the waves are still just ankle-to-knee high with a long 16-second period. That long period groundswell wants a point or reef to show its best, but at Haggerty’s it’s just not wrapping in with enough power. Not worth paddling out.

The first real highlight is Sunday morning, the 30th of August. We get a moderate offshore wind from the southeast at 12 mph, which will clean things right up. Swell bumps to 3 ft from the SSW with a solid 15-second period. The combined energy jumps to 320 (moderate). This is the kind of morning you set the alarm for – glassy lines, a bit of push, and a reef-point setup that can handle that direction. This is your best bet in the first week and a half. Expect some company though – Haggerty’s can get crowded.

Then we go quiet again. Monday the 31st is clean but small, and the rest of the week is back to tiny onshore slop. But hold on – Friday morning, the 4th of September is a beauty. Offshore wind again from the southeast at 12 mph, swell up to 3 ft from the SSW, period 17 seconds. The energy is strong at 521. This has proper grunt for a point break – long, lined-up waves with clean faces. This is a stand-out session for intermediate to experienced surfers. It’s a long-range call, so not locked in, but the signs are there.

Saturday morning the 5th of September is also worth a mention – glassy conditions, zero wind, and 3 ft SSW swell at 16 seconds. Energy is 407. Dead calm and chest-high waves – that’s a dream start to the day. Just expect the wind to turn onshore in the afternoon.

So, two real standouts: Sunday 30 August morning and Friday 4 September morning. The rest is mostly flat or blown out. For beginners, those 3 ft days are fine, but anything over 5 ft isn’t in the forecast. If you’re a kite surfer, the choppy afternoons with cross-onshore wind might be more your scene than a paddle surfer’s.

Rusty.

Read more