Indicator Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve got the lowdown on the surf ahead. Right off the bat, let’s be straight with you: this stretch is not looking like a classic run. We’ve got a lot of small, weak swell and a fair bit of onshore wind mucking things up, so you’re gonna have to pick your moments. The water is sitting at a balmy 23° which is a fair bit warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s a notable jump, so you can probably leave the steamer at home.

The opening days are pretty bleak. Monday and Tuesday are seeing tiny surf, around the 0.3m to 0.4m mark. The energy in the water is weak, with 96 to 122 on the combined scale, and while the mornings are clean, there’s just no power behind them. It’s a real struggle just to get a slide. The swell direction is hanging in the SW, but it’s just not doing us any favors.

We’ve got a bit of a flat spell through Wednesday and Thursday, with wave heights dipping right down. The energy levels are bottoming out, sometimes into single digits (10 on Wednesday morning), and a lot of the afternoons are getting chopped up by cross-onshore winds. It’s looking more like a lake than an ocean on Thursday afternoon with that 20 km/h W breeze.

Finally, Friday morning on the 18th shows a little pulse of life. We’re still only looking at 0.5m, but the period jumps up to 19 seconds. That’s a long-period groundswell, and the energy ticks up to 205. It’s clean with a light southerly breeze, so the lines will be there, just not a lot of push. It’s the kind of day where you’re groveling on a longboard, but at least it’s not closing out.

Saturday morning the 19th is more of the same – 0.6m, still a 18-second period, and clean with that light S wind. It’s surfable, but you’re really working for every little crumb.

Now, here’s the one and only standout in the whole 16-day forecast. It’s Sunday morning, the 21st of September. Finally, we get a bit of size bump up to a cleaner 0.8m, and importantly, the energy is pushing up to 371. The swell is still from the SW, but the period is a solid 17 seconds, and we have a gentle offshore breeze from the SE. This is the best shape we’re going to see. It’s clean, it’s got a bit more push, and the conditions are as good as it gets. This is your session to get out. It’s not huge, but it’s clean and lined up. The crowd might be around, but for a wave like this, it’ll be worth it.

After Sunday, it drops back off again. Swell sizes stay in the 0.4m to 0.6m range, and the winds turn mostly cross-on or onshore, making things messy. The energy stays moderate (in the 160 to 220 range) but the quality is just poor. A few mornings are cleaner, like the 28th and the 29th, but the surf is still pretty ordinary.

Honestly, this run is a grind. There is one solid morning on the 21st that’s your best bet. Other than that, it’s a lot of small, weak, and choppy conditions. If the winds are too messy on the afternoon on-shore days, it’s probably a better day to sort out your gear than to chase a wave.

Rusty.

Read more