Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

The Overall Picture

Mate, we’re looking at a whole lot of nothing for ages. The first recommendation doesn’t pop up until the 19th of September. Before that, from the 7th right through to the 18th, it’s a desert of tiny, weak, and messy conditions. The Jetty (Jetty) is seeing scraps of swell, mostly under 1m, with short periods and cross-shore to onshore winds. The combined energy is laughable, mostly in the low double digits (15 to 26) until we get a weird spike of moderate energy (421) on the 10th, but that’s paired with a fresh cross-shore wind and lumpy conditions—absolutely no good for a surf. The water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year at 23°C, but that’s not much comfort when there’s no waves.

The Long Wait (7th Sept – 18th Sept)

From Monday the 7th through to Friday the 18th, it’s a write-off. The Jetty is seeing tiny little bumps of 0.2m to 0.9m, mostly from the SSE or S, with periods so short (4 to 7 seconds) that you’d be bobbing like a cork. Winds are often cross or cross-on, and the phrase “poor surf conditions” is on every single row. There’s a couple of mornings with offshore winds—like the 11th with a NNW breeze and 0.6m to 0.7m swell—but the swell is too weak and short-period to form anything rideable. It’s a hard pass. The combined energy barely cracks 100 on most days, which is weak. You’d be better off cleaning the wax off your board than paddling out.

The Standout Window (19th September – Saturday Morning)

Right, here’s the one you’ve been waiting for. Saturday the 19th of September, morning session. The Jetty gets a pulse of 1.1m swell from the S, with a period of 7 seconds. That’s not huge, but it’s the only swell that breaks the 1m mark and actually has some push. The combined energy is moderate at 152, which is a solid step up from the dribble we’ve had. The wind is a gentle cross-offshore breeze from the NNE at 15 km/h, keeping the surface clean. The jetty is a breakwater, exposed to the swell, and it’s very consistent. It can get crowded sometimes, so expect a few heads out. This is the best on offer, and honestly, the only show in town. It’s surfable, but it’s ordinary conditions—the report says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” For a one-star window, it’s the best we’ve got.

The Rest of the Period (19th onwards)

The afternoon of the 19th drops back to 0.9m with a light cross-shore and small ripples, so it’s not as good. Then from the 20th onwards, it’s back to tiny, weak, and messy. The 20th morning is glassy on a 0.3m SE swell with a long period of 11 seconds, but that’s too small to do anything with. After that, it’s a slow fade into nothing.

Read more