Indicator Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the table for the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, the start of this period is flat. There's a real dry spell hitting us. We're looking at a gap of nearly a week with nothing worth paddling out for. The first few days of September are showing tiny, weak swell and mostly onshore or cross-shore winds, leaving the ocean a choppy mess. The water is a warm 72°F, which is a whopping 6°F warmer than normal for this time of year – feels like a bath, but with no waves to enjoy it in.

The first real sign of life pops up on the morning of Thursday, the 10th. We've got a clean window with light offshore winds, but the swell is still tiny at 2ft. It's not until the afternoon of Thursday, the 10th that we see a bit of juice, with a 3ft SW groundswell (16-second period) rolling in. The combined energy is moderate (363), but the wind is cross-shore, creating a little chop. It's marginal, but it's the first thing that's surfable.

The standout in this whole outlook, the one you should try to get on, is the morning of Saturday, the 13th. That's when we get a clean 3ft W swell with light cross-offshore winds. The breaks are fairly consistent here, and the key is that the swell direction (W) is a good match for the optimum direction (NW) for the reef and point setups. It's not a huge swell, but it will be clean and the best of an otherwise quiet period.

Looking further out, we get a few more days of small, choppy stuff. The next point of interest is the afternoon of Thursday, the 17th. The swell bumps up to 4ft from the W, with a 7-second period and clean cross-offshore winds. The energy is moderate (153). It's not a world-beater, but it's surfable.

Then, on the morning of Saturday, the 19th, we see the biggest swell of the forecast: a 5ft W swell. It's a short-period swell (7 seconds), so it might be a bit lumpy and closed out, but the energy is strong (462). The wind is cross-shore, so it won't be perfect. For a beginner, 5ft might be a bit much, but for an intermediate, it's worth a look if you're keen.

The long-range stuff into the second week is promising but less certain. That 5ft swell on the 19th is the biggest, but the wind is a letdown. The morning of the 18th has clean conditions with a 1ft SW groundswell but the period is a very long 19 seconds, which can make those point breaks and reefs a bit tricky. It's a waiting game.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a write-off. The best bet by a long shot is the morning of Saturday, the 13th. It's clean, it's the right swell direction, and it's the most consistent window we've got. The 5ft swell on the 19th has power but don't expect it to be a classic.

Rusty.

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