Halfpoint/Fullpoint Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s have a yarn about what’s brewing at Halfpoint/Fullpoint over the next couple of weeks.

First thing’s first: we’ve got a long, quiet spell ahead. The water here is sitting at a balmy 80° – about average for this time of year, so nothing out of the ordinary there.

From Tuesday the 18th of August all the way through to the end of that week, it’s pretty grim. Swell heights are small, mostly under 4 ft, with cross-shore winds gusting 12 to 25 mph. That ENE breeze is just chopping everything up. The combined swell energy is moderate at best – numbers like 406 on Tuesday morning dropping to 166 on Wednesday morning – but the ‘poor surf conditions’ tag tells you all you need to know. Don’t bother.

Friday the 21st of August morning offers a tiny glimmer. The swell is only 2 ft from the east at a short 7 seconds, and the wind goes glassy, with just a slight air. Wave energy is weak (64). It’s surfable but very ordinary – a real ‘if you’re desperate’ scenario. That afternoon it goes cross-onshore and the little bump dies off.

Then from Saturday the 22nd of August through to the end of the month, the swell picks up – 5 ft, then 6 ft, 7 ft, peaking at 8 ft – but it’s all short-period ENE windswell, with fresh to strong cross-shore winds. The combined energy ramps up into the strong zone (660, 706, 884 up to 1077), but the wind is just destroying any chance of decent waves. Messy cross-chop, lumpy… it’s ugly. Too big for beginners once it hits over 5 ft, and by the 23rd and 24th it’s over 7 ft, but the quality is so poor that even experienced surfers won’t find anything worth paddling for.

Now, late in the run, we get some interesting signals. On Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st of August, the swell jumps to 10 ft to 12 ft from the east, with a period of 9 seconds. Combined swell energy is massive – 1819 and 1969 – really strong. But the catch is the ENE cross-shore still blowing 19 to 22 mph. The data says the wind and tide are favourable, but the swell is too big for this break – it’s expert territory. Definitely not for beginners (over 8 ft is for experienced crew only) and with that wind, it’s not clean. For a beach setup like this, that kind of power and cross-wind might be more interesting for kite surfers than paddle surfers.

Come Tuesday the 1st of September, it’s still big (7 to 8 ft) but the wind eases a little. The wave energy is still very strong (2044 on Tuesday morning), but it’s labelled ‘marginal’ with questionable tide conditions.

The one true standout? Wednesday the 2nd of September afternoon. That’s the pick of the entire outlook. The swell drops to a manageable 7 ft from the east (8 seconds), but the wind swings to a glassy south-southeast breeze. Combined energy is still strong at 1263 – there’s plenty of push. The report calls it ‘excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers’. That glassy offshore wind is going to make it clean, and with that energy, the waves will have proper shape. Keep in mind, with a period of 8 seconds it’s not long groundswell, so it’ll be a little more sectiony, but on the right tide, Halfpoint/Fullpoint could deliver some fun ones. Crowds? The guidance says the break is ‘often’ busy, so expect company.

To sum up: you’ve got a long dry spell from now until the end of August, then a couple of big, messy days, and then finally on September the 2nd, a solid window for experienced surfers. That Wednesday afternoon is your best bet by a long shot.

Rusty.

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