Il Convento Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here, and I’ve got the skinny on the surf outlook for our stretch of coast over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, I’m not going to sugarcoat it for you. This is looking like a proper flat spell. We’ve got a 16-day window ahead of us, and the forecast is showing pretty much nothing but tiny, weak surf. If you’re hanging out for a wave, you’re going to be doing a lot of staring at the horizon.

The standout spot, as it so often is, is Il Convento – a reef and point set-up that knows how to handle a lick of swell. It’s inconsistent, which is a major bummer, and it really needs a solid pulse to get going. Because the water’s running a couple of degrees warmer than normal for this time of year, you might be tempted to get in, but even the water's pulling you in for a swim instead of a surf.

For the first week, we’re looking at a big fat zero. From Sunday the 16th through to about Thursday the 20th, the energy is just not there.

There’s a tiny tease on the 17th of August afternoon with a 1ft, but it’s short period slop. We might see a few ankle-biters on the 20th as a weak SW pulse shows up, but the morning glass is the only real highlight. The light winds are keeping the ocean tidy, but there’s nothing to ride.

The 22nd sees a slight bump up to 2ft but with a south wind making it choppy. The core of the problem is that the swell energy is super weak, with readings in the low single digits. It’s a cruel joke.

We finally get a little something to talk about on Monday, August 24th. The morning brings in a 2ft south swell, the biggest we’ve seen, and the energy kicks up to 31. It’s not much, but it’s something. Still, it’s a short-period, onshore wind swell, so it’ll be a bit messy and probably too weak for the reef to show its true character.

The second week is more of the same – a lot of nothing, really. There are small bumps of energy around the 30th and 31st, with the 31st afternoon seeing 2ft and the energy rising to 33. This is the best of a poor bunch, but we’re talking about small, wind-affected waves. The swell direction is from the east and southeast, which is all wrong for Il Convento. It’s the sort of surf you might ride if you’re desperate, but not something you’d drive across town for.

Overall, this is a bleak outlook. For a spot that’s already inconsistent, a run like this isn’t unusual. But keep the faith. Spots like this can turn on in a day if a proper swells forms. We just need a bit of luck.

That’s all she wrote. This is Rusty, signing off.

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