Kawana Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Kawana Beach has in store for us over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – it’s a pretty grim run for a while. We’ve got a long stretch of poor conditions ahead, so don’t get your hopes up too early. The first real chance of anything decent doesn’t roll in until the morning of Tuesday the 4th of August, and even then it’s barely a whisper.

For most of the first week, we’re looking at small, weak swell – mostly around 2ft to 3ft from the east or southeast, with short periods (7 to 9 seconds). That means weak, choppy, and crumbly waves. The wind is mostly a cross-onshore or cross-shore mess, so expect bumpy faces and not much fun. There’s a little glimpse of something on Tuesday morning the 4th – the water is glassy (5 km/h south wind, glass condition), but the swell is a tiny 2ft from the southeast with a 9-second period and combined energy of only 105 (weak). It’s surfable but very ordinary. That’s about the best you’ll get all week, and it’s pretty forgettable.

We get a kick in swell from Saturday the 8th into Sunday the 9th – heights push up to 4ft to 5ft from the east, with combined energy climbing to 205–268 (moderate). But the wind is stubbornly cross-onshore or cross, so it stays bumpy. Saturday the 8th morning has rain showers and a 5ft east swell with a short 7-second period – that’s gonna be a messy, lumpy affair. Sunday the 9th morning is slightly better with a light cross-shore wind, but still only a 4ft east swell and a “marginal” call. Nothing to write home about.

Then the second week is even quieter. From Monday the 10th through to Friday the 14th, swell drops back to 2ft to 3ft, periods are 8 to 9 seconds, and combined energy is mostly weak (67 to 146). Wind is mainly cross-onshore again. A small highlight appears on Wednesday morning the 12th – clean conditions with a light NNW cross-offshore wind, but the swell is only 2ft from the east (97 energy). Surfable but tiny.

Now, here’s the one that might be worth circling on the calendar. Saturday the 15th of August morning. The wind drops to nothing – glassy conditions from the west at 5 km/h. Swell picks up to 4ft from the southeast, with a combined energy of 249 (moderate). The period is only 8 seconds, so it’s a shorter-period swell, but those glassy conditions are rare. It’s the standout of the whole outlook. The water temperature is around 68°F, which is about 2°F cooler than average for this time of year – nothing extreme, just a little crisp. That morning is your best bet by a long shot. The afternoon goes cross-shore and choppy, so only the morning session is the go.

After that, Sunday the 16th and Monday the 17th see more cross-onshore winds and lumpy conditions, with swell around 3ft to 4ft but short periods of 6 seconds – that’s weak, disorganised energy. Tuesday the 18th has moderate energy (252) but strong cross-onshore winds, so again, messy.

If you’re a beginner, the 4ft swell on Saturday the 15th is fine, but anything over 5ft later in the first week might be a bit much. The long spells of poor surf and short-period chop make this a frustrating outlook. Honestly, if the wind doesn’t cooperate, the setup at Kawana Beach – being an exposed beach break – looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on most of these days.

The crowd situation at Kawana Beach is “sometimes” busy, so on that rare good morning (Saturday the 15th), you might have company, but it shouldn’t be a circus.

So, to wrap it up: hang tight, don’t bother until Saturday morning the 15th of August. That’s the one clean, glassy window with a moderate 4ft SE swell. Everything else is small, bumpy, or just plain poor.

Rusty.

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