Banks Peninsula - Hickory Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here, and I've got the lowdown on what's coming our way for Banks Peninsula – Hickory Bay. It's a bit of a slow starter, but there's a couple of real gems to get excited about if you time it right.

The water's sitting at 50°F, which is a touch warmer than what we'd normally expect for this time of year, so that's a nice little bonus.

We've got a few days of small, clean surf to ease into the period. Thursday morning the 6th is a bit average with a light cross-shore, but from Thursday afternoon it cleans right up. Expect glassy conditions with a 4ft S swell, period around 10 seconds, and moderate wave energy (749). It's a good one for the beginners to get on, and while crowds are possible at Hickory Bay, the conditions will be sweet.

The real standout fires up on Friday the 7th. Friday morning is looking like the pick of the first week. We've got a solid 6ft S swell with a long 13-second period, pushing in some serious energy (1186). The wind is a clean cross-off, which will make for some excellent, lined-up waves. This one's for the experienced crew – at 6ft it's getting a bit hefty for the learners. The long period makes it a proper groundswell, so expect longer lulls between sets, which makes the paddle out easier, and the waves will have some real shape.

Saturday the 8th has a smaller, glassy 4ft S swell in the morning, and the rest of the week goes a bit quiet. There's a gap from Sunday afternoon right through to Wednesday morning the 12th where the conditions turn poor, with onshore winds making a mess of things. Then Wednesday the 12th shapes up as a clean, offshore day with a 6ft NE swell, but the period is short at 7 seconds, so it'll be a bit crumbly.

Then we hit a long gap. From the 14th of August right through to the 19th, the swell is just too big for Hickory Bay. We're talking 7ft to a massive 13ft SSW swell, with wave energy readings going through the roof – up to 4065. Even with glassy winds, that's expert-only territory and the forecast says it's too big for this break. You'd be better off looking at a reef or point break with that kind of juice.

The pattern finally settles back down on the 19th with a glassy 6ft S swell and good energy (726), making for some very good conditions. Then the 20th and 21st offer smaller, cleaner waves to wrap it up, with the 21st morning seeing a tiny 2ft groundswell with a very long 16-second period (338). That long period swell will be breaking straight at the beach, so it's not the best, but it's glassy.

So if you're after the best on offer, it's Friday morning the 7th of August for the clean, long-period swell. The other big call is Wednesday the 19th for a glassy, clean session that looks promising but is a bit further out. Keep an eye on the forecast for that one.

Rusty.

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