Banks Peninsula - Hickory Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Hickory Bay. It’s a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks, with some proper size coming through, but it’s going to be a real test of patience.

The water is sitting at 52°F right now, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s a nice little bonus for the brave.

The first surfable window is a bit of a slow start. For the next few days, there’s really nothing to get excited about. It’s not until Monday the 31st of August that we see a pulse, but it’s a beast. Monday morning, the swell is 8ft from the SSW with a period of 11 seconds, but the wind is a cross-on from the SW at 9 mph. It’s too big for a beginner spot like Hickory Bay, and it’s going to be a bit of a messy, lumpy affair. The combined energy is a massive 2073 (moderate to strong), but the conditions are just not there for a good paddle.

The real standout, though, if you’ve got the skills and the nerve, is on Wednesday the 2nd of September. Both the morning and afternoon sessions are looking clean. The swell is 8ft in the morning and 8ft in the afternoon, both from the S, with a long period of 15 seconds and 13 seconds respectively. That’s proper groundswell. The wind is a light, clean cross-off from the NNW, 6 to 9 mph. The combined energy is 3432 and 1888 – very strong. Listen, for an expert, this is the best on offer. The waves will have heaps of power and shape, but for a beginner or intermediate, this is definitely too big and too heavy. It’s a bit of a caveat too – that long period groundswell can make a beach break like Hickory Bay a bit walled and straight, but for the few who can handle it, it’ll be a session to remember.

After that, the swell drops right off. Thursday the 3rd and Friday the 4th are small and ordinary. The real blank run hits from Saturday the 5th of September through to Wednesday the 10th. There’s a few tiny waves, like 3ft on Saturday morning, but it’s weak and the wind is all over the shop. The highlight in that gap is a decent 6ft on Saturday afternoon, but it’s got a cross-off wind and only a score of 2. It’s surfable, but nothing special.

The second week gets a bit of a pulse again. Friday the 11th of September has a clean morning with 4ft from the SSW, a moderate offshore breeze from the N at 16 mph, and combined energy of 297. That’s a nice, clean, manageable surf for the more experienced. But the afternoon is a monster again: 12ft from the SSW with a 16-second period, and the combined energy is 6623 (very strong). It’s another day for experts only, and it’s clean, but it’s huge.

The final standout looks like Monday the 14th of September. It’s late in the forecast, so treat it with a bit of caution, but the charts are promising. The afternoon is glassy, with a 5ft SSW groundswell at a 16-second period, and the combined energy is 1424. The wind is glassy from the SE at 3 mph. The score says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers,” and I’d trust that. For a surfer who knows what they’re doing, that’s a perfect, clean, powerful session.

So, for the best on offer: Wednesday the 2nd of September for the experts, and the afternoon of Monday the 14th of September for a glassy, powerful groundswell. The rest is a bit of a wait-and-see.

Rusty.

Read more