Kaolins Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for Kaolins over the next couple of weeks.

Alright, straight up, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it – this is a tough run. We're looking at a long stretch of weak, poor-quality surf that's going to test your patience. The first recommendation for a surf doesn't actually come until Wednesday, August 14th, and even then it's a real struggle. There's a solid gap of about a week up front where you're better off finding something else to do.

The first faint glimmer of hope shows up on the morning of Wednesday, August 14th. We're talking about a small 3ft swell from the WSW with a period of 9 seconds. The combined swell energy is a modest 177 (moderate wave energy). The wind is a light NNE breeze, which is a cross-offshore wind, meaning the waves will be clean. It's surfable, but it's tiny and conditions are just ordinary. Don't get your hopes up.

Then we get a bit of a tease. On the morning of Thursday, August 15th, the wind goes glassy – dead calm from the east at 5 km/h. The swell drops back to 2ft from the west, and the energy is a weak 50. It will look clean, but there's just not enough push to have a decent wave.

The next real standout, and I mean the only one you should circle on the calendar, is the morning of Wednesday, August 19th. The swell picks up to 5ft from the WNW with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 399 (moderate wave energy). This is the biggest swell of the whole run. The wind is a light 10 km/h from the north, which is a cross-offshore breeze, meaning clean, lined-up waves. For a reef break like Kaolins, which is fairly exposed to southwest swells, a WNW swell is a bit off its optimum, and the period is short, so it won't have the real grunt of a groundswell. But it's the only session where the forecast says "expect good surf conditions". The water temp is about 66°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year, being only 0.9°F above average.

Now, the morning of Monday, August 22nd, we see a bigger swell – 6ft from the WSW with a 10-second period and a combined energy of 674 (strong wave energy). That sounds promising, but it's a total write-off. The wind is howling from the west at 35 km/h, which is a strong cross-onshore wind. The forecast says "strong cross-onshore and messy". That's not surfable for a paddle board; it's more of a kite session if you're keen.

So, the bottom line is this: the one and only standout is the morning of Wednesday, August 19th at Kaolins. It's a reef break, so it can be inconsistent, and crowds are possible sometimes. Get out there early for a clean, small-to-medium wave. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or both. A blank run like this isn't too unusual for the area, but it doesn't often stay this poor for long. Forecasts can change.

Rusty.

Read more