Honkeys Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Honkeys over the next couple of weeks.

First thing to note, the water is sitting at a warm 85°F and that’s pretty much bang on average for this time of year. So no surprises there.

Now, I’m not gonna lie, the start of this run is flat and ugly. Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th are a complete write-off with poor surf and onshore breezes. Nothing to even get out of bed for.

We start to see a little pulse on Wednesday the 26th morning, but it’s marginal. A 3 ft swell from the SSW with a very long period of 16 seconds, and combined energy of 548 (moderate). The winds are a light cross-onshore, so it’s small and a bit bumpy. Not worth paddling out for.

Thursday the 27th morning is the first glimmer of hope. The swell bumps up to 5 ft from the SSW, period 16 seconds, and energy jumps to 1212 (strong). Winds are light onshore from the SW. It’s still marginal though, and the onshore breeze will keep it a bit messy. The 5 ft is okay for a confident intermediate but it’s not clean.

Friday the 28th and Saturday the 29th drop back down in size, with cross-onshore winds and a bit of chop. Not great.

Sunday the 30th morning sees a bigger push: 6 ft from the SSW, period 18 seconds, and energy of 2024 (strong to very strong). The winds are cross-onshore from the WNW at 9 mph though, so it’s gonna be choppy. The afternoon gets bigger still at 6 ft, but the wind turns moderate cross-onshore. That’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a clean paddle session.

Monday the 31st keeps the size up around 7 ft in the morning with a risk of thunderstorms and cross-onshore winds. The swell is powerful but the conditions are messy. By Tuesday the 1st of September, the swell drops back to 4 ft and the wind stays cross-onshore. The rest of the first week into the second week is a mix of small to moderate swells, mostly onshore or cross-onshore winds, and poor to marginal conditions.

The standout in this whole forecast is the long period pulses from the SSW, especially around the 26th–27th of August and again on the 30th–31st. The 30th morning has the biggest swell of the run at 6 ft with a 18-second period and very strong energy. If the wind ever swings offshore, that window would be unreal, but with the current forecast of cross-onshore wind, it’s going to be a battle. The 5 ft on Thursday the 27th morning is the next best bet, but again, the onshore wind is a letdown.

Honkeys is a reef break that needs a clean south swell to work its magic. The direction is right (SSW) but the wind is the enemy here. This is a spot that can be a gem when it’s glassy, but we’re not seeing that in the next 16 days. The second week from the 3rd of September onwards fades to small, short-period swells and more onshore wind. Not worth getting excited about.

If you’re desperate, the 27th of August morning is your best shot, but keep your expectations low. Otherwise, sit tight and wait for a cleaner forecast.

Rusty.

Read more