Horace Caldwell Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let me tell you straight: this 16-day window for our local stretch is about as flat and frustrating as it gets. There’s a big gap before anything even worth mentioning, and even then, it’s a struggle. Hang in there, though—forecasts can shift, and it’s not usually this dead for this long around here.

The first sniff of surf comes on Tuesday, August 25, with a tiny 2ft SSE swell creeping in at Horace Caldwell Pier (beach/pier setup). Problem is, the period’s a mere 4 seconds—weak, short-period windswill with combined energy of just 35—weak. Winds are cross-on from the south at 9 mph, so it’s choppy and messy. This isn’t surf worth paddling for; it’s barely even a ripple. That same tiny, short-period pulse hangs around for days, with combined energy never cracking three digits, and winds mostly onshore or cross-onshore. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing wild to report.

Friday morning, August 28, offers a brief tease: a light 2ft SSE swell at 4 seconds, but the wind swings WSW at 6 mph, giving us a rare cross-offshore that cleans things up. Combined energy is still only 20—weak—so it’s small and gutless. Clean but tiny, maybe a longboard float if you’re desperate.

From there, it’s back to the same old story. Saturday the 29th through to the end of August: flat, weak 1ft to 2ft swells, periods stuck at 4 seconds, combined energy barely scraping 26. Winds stay cross-on or onshore, mostly from the SSE or ESE at 6-12 mph. Choppy, poor surf conditions, day after day.

Moving into September, nothing changes. Tuesday September 1 through Thursday September 3: still 1ft to 2ft SSE/ESE swell, 5-second period, combined energy 16-23. Winds remain onshore. On Friday September 4, we get a slightly bigger 2ft ESE swell but cross-on winds at 12 mph make it choppy. Saturday September 5 sees the swell just nudge up to 3ft SE, combined energy 32, but with a risk of thunderstorms and 12-15 mph onshore winds—still no good for a paddle.

Sunday September 6 through Tuesday September 9: the swell maxes out at 3ft SE, combined energy hits 39-41—still weak. But winds pick up to 18-22 mph from the SSE, fresh cross-onshore making it lumpy and unappealing. For a beach/pier setup like this, that’s more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The final day, Wednesday September 9, drops back to 1ft with a light north-easterly cross-shore, but it’s too small to matter.

There’s no standout here. No break worth highlighting. It’s a blank run that’s more normal for this area, but it won’t stay this way forever—forecasts can turn around. Until then, wait for the next window.

Rusty.

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