Hideaway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Hideaway.

First up, the water temp is sitting at a pretty standard 77°, right on the money for this time of year. No surprises there.

Now, the outlook: honestly, it’s a bit of a flat spell to start, and the whole 16-day window is a mixed bag. The first real surf recommendation doesn't show up until Wednesday morning, 2nd September. Before that, Monday 31st August and Tuesday 1st September are write-offs—poor conditions, choppy, no good.

Wednesday 2nd September brings some hope. Swell builds through the morning to 6ft from the SSW, with a very long period of 16 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy, and the combined energy reading is a strong 2035. But here’s the catch: Hideaway is a reef break, rarely breaks, and it’s exposed to a south swell, which is spot-on directionally. The wind, though, is cross-shore at 16 mph, which leaves a chop on it. The forecast is marginal, not clean. This pattern of cross-shore wind and marginal quality sticks around for days. The swell hangs in there—Thursday 3rd September morning has 7ft, 15-second SSW swell, still strong energy (2179), but the cross-wind doesn’t let up. The afternoon gets a little bigger at 7ft (2429), but again, marginal.

Friday 4th September eases a touch, with 6ft SSW swell at 14 seconds (1293 energy), but it’s the same story: wind is cross, texture is lumpy. Not a stand-out, just rideable for the keener locals.

The best clean window comes much later, on Sunday 13th September morning. That’s over a week away, but worth watching. The wind goes light offshore from the ENE at only 6 mph, described as clean. Swell is 3ft from the SSW with a very long 17-second period (609 energy). Conditions are expected to be very good. That’s the pick of the whole period—small but clean, with that long-period swell wrapping nicely into the reef.

Then Monday 14th September morning glass off—wind is dead calm, glassy, with 4ft, 16-second SSW swell (784 energy). That’s another potential standout, but again, it’s small. That’s about as good as it gets around here.

Keep in mind, Hideaway is an advanced spot that rarely breaks, so don’t expect a session every day. Crowds are possible but not guaranteed. For the size range: when it gets over 7ft in the first week, that’s expert territory on a reef. Beginners should steer clear. The long-period groundswell (15–19 seconds) is best here on the reef, not a beach break.

There are big gaps. Nothing for the first two days, then a run of marginal surf until the 13th. The second half has a few cleaner moments, but they’re small. If you’re after a proper push, the 2nd to 4th September has the size but not the quality. For a surf, the standouts are the morning of Sunday 13th and Monday 14th September.

Stay patient, check the charts, and I’ll see you out there.

Rusty.

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