Irmas/Leftpoint Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for the region.

The 16-day window doesn't start with any fireworks. The first sniff of a surf that's worth a mention is on Thursday morning, the 20th of August, but it's a bit of a tease. Irmas/Leftpoint has a tiny 2ft SSW swell with a very long period of 18 seconds, but the wind is a light cross-shore breeze. The combined energy is moderate at 345, but the conditions are described as marginal, and the tide might be a player. The water's sitting at 80°, which is about average for this time of year.

The rest of August and right into the first few days of September is a real struggle. From Thursday afternoon the 20th, all the way through to the afternoon of the 3rd of September, the forecast is consistently "poor surf conditions". That's a solid two-week stretch of messy, cross-shore winds, mostly from the ENE, with lumpy, choppy seas. The swell periods are very short, mostly between 6 and 8 seconds, which means weak, bumpy waves. The wind picks up, with fresh to strong breezes making it a real battle out there. There's some decent energy in the water at times, like the 6ft 12-second ENE swell and 1271 combined energy on the 30th of August, but the wind is just too strong and cross-shore to make it any good for a paddle. Honestly, with that much wind, a few of those lumpy, cross-chop days might be more interesting for the kite crew than for us.

The one real standout, and the only time this outlook gets its head above water, comes right at the very end. On the afternoon of Thursday, the 4th of September, things finally line up. The winds are forecast to turn light and cross-offshore from the north, cleaning up the 6ft ENE swell. The period is a solid 9 seconds, and the combined energy is moderate at 648. It's a late burst of life, and while it's a long way off, that's the one to circle on the calendar. The morning of the 4th also looks promising with clean conditions, so the whole day could be a winner. The difficulty is rated intermediate, but with a 6ft swell, it's well within reach for most.

So, to be honest, it's a grim outlook for most of the 16 days. The pickings are slim, but that Thursday the 4th of September is the only real window. The rest is a write-off. Keep an eye on the forecasts, because things can change, but right now, this is a waiting game.

Rusty.

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