Banks Peninsula - Hickory Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, we’ve got a bit of a mixed bag coming up for Hickory Bay. The water’s sitting at 51°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s a nice little bonus. The overall pattern starts off pretty quiet, then builds into a couple of solid pulses, but you’ve gotta pick your windows carefully.

The first few days are pretty underwhelming. Wednesday the 15th has tiny 1ft SSW swell, but the morning is cross-off and the afternoon turns glassy – it’s surfable but very ordinary, and the energy is weak (129). Thursday the 16th morning is a write-off with onshore wind, but by afternoon the wind swings glassy and the swell bumps up to 2ft from the ESE and the energy jumps to (355) – that’s a decent little window for a beginner-friendly wave.

Now, Friday the 17th is where things get interesting. The morning brings a clean 6ft SSW swell with a 15-second period, and the energy is pumping (2337). This is a proper groundswell. The wind is light cross-off, so it’ll be clean. The afternoon is even better – glassy conditions with 5ft swell and 14-second period, energy still strong (2385). That’s excellent surf for experienced surfers. The long period means the waves will have plenty of shape and energy, and the sets will be well-spaced, making paddling out easier.

Saturday the 18th starts with a 5ft S swell and a massive 23-second period – that’s a very long period groundswell, which will make the waves powerful but can break a bit straight at a beach break. The morning is cross-on and marginal, but the afternoon turns into a total blowout with 30 km/h onshore wind and 7ft swell – not worth paddling out, that’s a kite session if anything. Sunday the 19th is also marginal with cross-on winds and 6ft S swell, energy still strong (2196), but the wind is not your friend.

The standout, without a doubt, is Monday the 20th. The morning has 7ft S swell with a 15-second period, clean cross-off wind, and the energy is massive (2036). The report says it might be too big for this break, so this is strictly for the experienced crew. The afternoon is cleaner with offshore wind and 6ft swell, energy still healthy (1487). That’s the best of the run.

After that, things settle down. Tuesday the 21st has clean 4ft S swell, dropping to moderate energy (468), and Wednesday the 22nd has small 2ft SSW swell, energy (218). From Thursday the 23rd onward, the swell drops right off – tiny waves under 2ft and weak energy. There’s a gap of several days with no real recommendations until we get a bit of a pulse again on Monday the 27th, when a glassy morning brings 4ft SSW swell with a 13-second period and energy (601) – that’s a solid, clean option for experienced surfers. Tuesday the 28th is messy with onshore wind, and the rest trails off into small, marginal stuff.

So, the best on offer is Friday the 17th afternoon and Monday the 20th morning. For the bigger swell and good wind, Hickory Bay will be pumping. Just remember, the long-period swells favour the reef and point setups, so keep that in mind if you’re on a beach break.

Rusty.

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