Jacobs Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's get into it for Jacobs Bay. We've got a mixed bag coming our way over the next sixteen days, so let's sort the wheat from the chaff.

The big picture is that we're staring down a powerful, long-period southwest swell train for the first week, but it's going to be a bit of a beast. This spot is exposed to the WSW, which is bang on the money, and the water's sitting at a chilly 56°, a full 4° colder than usual for this time of year. That’s a proper cold snap, so you’ll be wanting the thickest rubber you’ve got.

The standout here is undeniably the Sunday, the 30th of August. The morning session is the pick of the entire forecast. We’ve got a solid 10ft SW groundswell with a long 13-second period pumping in. The combined energy is a massive 2547, so there is serious grunt behind it. The wind is a cross-shore and the tide is favourable, but let's be real – at 10ft, this is a heavy-duty wave. It’s well into expert territory and is going to be too big for beginners. This is as good as it gets, but you need to know what you're doing. Crowds are sometimes a factor here, so expect company.

Monday the 31st drops down a notch. The morning shows a cleaner 6ft WSW swell (12s period, combined energy 1001) with a cross-offshore breeze. It’s a workable size and the conditions are clean, but the score is low. It's a marginal day, but arguably the safest bet for a paddle if the big Sunday swell is too much.

Tuesday the 1st of September sees another pulse of energy. Mornings are a messy 8ft SW (13s period, combined energy 2426) with cross-shore chop, not great. But the afternoon? That 10ft SW swell cranks up again to a combined energy of 3087. Same story as Sunday – too big for this break for the average surfer, but if you’ve got the nerve, it’s a powerful, long-period groundswell. Wednesday the 2nd is more of the same: 10ft swell and energy in the 2800-3500 range, just too much for a clean, user-friendly wave. By Thursday the 3rd, the size drops to a more manageable 6ft WSW but the wind swings to a fresh NE cross-off, cleaning it up. It's a marginal call, but that’s probably the most user-friendly window in that first big run.

Then we hit a lull. From Friday the 4th right through to Monday the 7th of September, the swell drops off a cliff. Heights waver between 3ft and 5ft, the energy readings are all below 1000, and the winds shift around. It’s a real dry spell for quality waves. Keep an eye on Monday the 7th morning, we get a glassy 3ft WSW swell, but it’s tiny.

The next real flicker of life comes on Tuesday the 8th of September. The morning session delivers a clean 5ft WSW groundswell with a long 14-second period, pushing a combined energy of 1167. The wind is a glassy 5 km/h from the S. That’s excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers, clean lines, and far more manageable than the early stuff. That’s your second standout for the whole outlook – a big, well-shaped groundswell that you can actually paddle into.

The forecast gets unreliable after that, but looking way out, the 12th and 14th of September show signs of another big south-west swell filling in. The morning of Saturday the 12th shows a 10ft SW swell with 2778 energy and a clean cross-off breeze – but again, that size is a beast. And Monday the 14th afternoon shows a massive 10ft SW swell with a 16-second period and a combined energy of 4645. That’s enormous, expert-only territory if it materialises. Keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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