Kawana Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty.

Look, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – the next couple of weeks at Kawana Beach are a real struggle. There’s nothing clean or consistent on offer, and the first decent window is a long way off. We’re looking at a gap of about two weeks with no real surf to get excited about. The first blip of something rideable doesn’t show up until Friday the 18th of September, and even then it’s small.

The water temperature is sitting at 69°, which is about 2° cooler than the long-term average for this time of year – so nothing wild, just a touch on the cool side.

For the first fourteen days, the surf is mostly tiny, weak, and hammered by cross-onshore winds. There’s a day on Sunday the 6th where the swell bumps up to 4 ft from the NNE, but the period is a shocking 5 seconds – that’s short-period, junky windswell, and the wind is cross-offshore, so it’s rideable but barely. The combined energy is only 86 (weak), and the quality is still rated as poor. Not worth paddling out for.

Things get a bit bigger later. Tuesday the 8th sees a 6 ft swell from the SE with a 6-second period – that’s short, lumpy, and messy. The combined energy jumps to 225 (moderate), but with 19 mph cross-onshore winds, it’s a choppy, blown-out mess. By Friday the 11th, we get a 7 ft SE swell at 7 seconds – that’s actually a decent size, but it’s too big for beginners and the period is short, so it’s just a big, messy wall of water. The energy is 484 (strong), but the wind is still cross-onshore at 16 mph. The setup is a beach, so it’s going to be a washing machine – more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The one standout – and I use that term loosely – is Friday morning the 18th of September. The swell is only 1 ft from the SE, but the period is a lovely 13 seconds, so it’s long-period groundswell. The combined energy is just 70 (weak), but the wind is light from the north at 3 mph, with a cross-offshore direction, which will keep it clean. The water temp is still about average for the time of year. It’s not going to be a classic, but it’s the only time in the whole forecast where the conditions line up for a clean, glassy surf. The break is exposed to the east, and the optimum swell direction is ESE, so that SE swell is a decent match. The crowd factor is “sometimes” – so you might bump into a few locals, but it’ll be quiet. The difficulty is beginner, so if you’re just starting out, this is your window.

After that, Saturday the 19th of September morning sees 1 ft from the SE at 17 seconds – even longer period, but just not enough energy (92) and the wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-onshore, so it’s blown out by about 9am.

So, to sum it up: the first two weeks are a write-off. If you’re keen, mark your calendar for Friday the 18th of September for a tiny, clean, long-period glass-off. Otherwise, it’s a waiting game. Forecasts can change, so keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

Read more