Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

To be honest, the outlook is a bit of a flat spell for the Jetty. The water is sitting at 77°, which is much warmer than you'd usually expect for this time of year – a solid 5° anomaly there, so it’s a tropical bath. But the waves? They’re struggling to show up.

We start with a pretty grim run. The forecast opens on Sunday the 16th with tiny 1 ft waves on a short 6 second period from the south, and a light SSE breeze keeping it onshore. The combined swell energy is a weak 11, and it's a write-off. That small, weak southerly energy hangs around through Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th. Monday afternoon is the first real glimpse of something surfable, with 3 ft SSE swell, but it’s described as "very ordinary conditions." The best of that early window looks like Tuesday the 18th morning, with clean 3 ft waves from the SSE and a light offshore N wind at 10 km/h. The swell energy is a moderate 100, but it’s still a 7-second period, so it’s weak and choppy. Still, it’s the cleanest option in the first week.

From Tuesday afternoon through to the end of the month, things get really small. From Wednesday the 20th to Sunday the 24th, we’re looking at 1 ft to 2 ft waves with hardly any energy – the swell energy drops to as low as 22 and 24. There are a couple of glassy or clean windows, like Thursday the 20th afternoon with a 9-second period swell and a glassy NNE breeze, but at 2 ft, it’s barely a ripple. It’s a long, quiet gap.

The last few days of the month show a slight uptick. On Monday the 25th, we get a pulse of 4 ft southerly swell with a 6-second period, and the energy climbs to 104, but a strong 25 km/h cross-onshore wind makes it choppy and messy. That’s not a paddler’s friend. The best of the late period might be Wednesday the 27th morning, when a 2 ft SE swell with a 12-second period brings a moderate 132 energy and a clean offshore NNW wind at 25 km/h. It’s still small, but the wind is right. The same goes for Thursday the 27th afternoon, with 2 ft, 11-second swell and a light offshore breeze.

There’s a bigger spike on the very last day, Monday the 31st of August morning, with a 4 ft SW swell pushing 153 energy, but it’s a 6-second period again and a clean cross-offshore wind. Could be a bit of a diamond in the rough if the period stretches.

Standout? Honestly, there’s no real standout session. The cleanest and most interesting wave energy is that 2 ft groundswell on Thursday the 27th morning – it’s small, but the 12-second period and offshore wind make it the pick of a quiet bunch. For a bit more size, the 4 ft on the 31st has potential, but it’s a long way out and the period is short. Keep your expectations low and your eyes on the horizon.

Rusty.

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