Hideaway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Hideaway. This is a tricky one—a reef break that’s rarely breaking, so every session is a bit of a gamble. The water’s sitting at 25°C, which is pretty much average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

First up, Thursday afternoon the 6th of August. Swell is 4 ft from the SSW with a very long 15 second period, but a cross-shore wind of 25 km/h is making it lumpy. The combined energy is moderate (988) but the surf is poor. Not worth paddling out.

Friday the 7th through to the weekend, the swell keeps building. Friday morning and afternoon, 7 ft from the SSE, 10 second period, but cross-shore winds are fresh at 35 km/h, creating a lumpy cross-chop. The energy is strong (1405) but the wind is ruining it. Saturday morning, the 8th, swell drops a touch to 8 ft from the ESE, 8 second period, and the wind turns cross-off at 30 km/h. Surf is clean, but 8 ft is big—only for experts. The energy is very strong (1602). Saturday afternoon, the swell drops to 6 ft, but the wind stays cross-off. Sunday morning, the 9th, sees 7 ft ESE swell with 8 second period and cross-off breeze, giving clean conditions. The energy is strong (1181). Honestly, the best of this early window is Saturday morning, but it’s only for the experienced.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The second week has a real standout. Sunday the 16th of August, morning surf is 6 ft from the SW with a very long 17 second period, light breeze from the E, and clean conditions. The combined energy is very strong (2050). The afternoon jumps to 7 ft from the SW, 16 second period, with a light NE breeze and clean. Energy is very strong (2554). This is excellent for experienced surfers, and the long period groundswell will line up nicely on this reef. Monday the 17th looks even better: morning, 7 ft from the SW, 14 second period, with a light offshore from the NNE at 5 km/h. Glassy, clean, and the energy is very strong (1819). The afternoon holds 6 ft from the SW, same offshore wind, and the energy is still strong (1401). This is the pick of the whole forecast—clean, offshore, and a solid SW groundswell lining up with the optimum direction.

After that, the swell stays big but the wind turns ugly. Tuesday the 18th, 8 ft from the SSW, 16 second period, but onshore and cross-on winds bring choppy, messy conditions. Wednesday the 19th, 7 ft from the SSW, still cross-shore, and the energy is strong (1750) but the quality is marginal. The last few days into the 21st of August see the swell drop to 5-5 ft from the S, with cross-off winds, but the energy is moderate and the surf is only marginal.

So, the true standout is the Sunday 16th to Monday 17th of August. That’s the window to circle. The reef will be firing with that long period SW groundswell and light offshore winds. Crowds are sometimes a thing here, so you might have some company, but it’s worth it. The rest of the window is either too windy, too big, or just not breaking. For a spot that rarely breaks, this is a rare treat.

Rusty.

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