Kennet Rivermouth/Point Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your wettie, let's get into it. The river mouth is our only game in town for the next 16 days, and it's a tale of two halves with a bit of a wild middle.

The forecast kicks off with a massive pulse of energy, but it comes with a catch. On Saturday the 22nd of August, we’re looking at a solid 16ft groundswell out of the southwest with a 14-second period, and the combined energy is absolutely pumping at 13550. That's a serious amount of water moving. The wind is a cross-off, so the surface will be clean, but truth be told, at that size, this is no place for the faint of heart. The tide conditions are also questionable, making it a tricky one. Sunday the 23rd is a different story. The swell drops to a much more manageable 6ft to 7ft, still from the southwest, but now the wind is the star of the show. We’ve got a glassy morning and a light offshore in the afternoon, which will make for the cleanest lines of the early run. The period is a long 14 to 16 seconds, giving those waves some serious grunt.

The standout slot for the whole forecast, without a doubt, is the morning of Sunday the 23rd of August. The swell is a clean 6ft from the southwest, and with a 14-second period, the waves will have plenty of push. The wind is a light offshore, so it’s going to be a glassy, rippable morning. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, so a 3/2 should be fine.

Monday the 24th holds up nicely with 5ft to 5ft swell and clean offshore winds, keeping the quality high. The combined energy is moderate at 890. Then things get a bit messy. From Tuesday the 25th through to Thursday the 27th, the surf drops off and the wind turns onshore, making for some choppy, less appealing conditions. The wave energy drops to a weak 366 at its worst.

We get a second wind on Friday the 28th of August when a new, very long-period southwest swell (17 seconds) bumps things back up to 6ft. The combined energy is strong at 1717, and with a gentle offshore, it’s going to be a clean, powerful day. This is the other real standout. That very long period means the sets will be well-spaced, making paddling out a bit easier, but the waves will have a lot of punch. For a river mouth and point break like this, that long period is a beautiful thing.

The weekend of the 29th and 30th of August is a write-off, with onshore winds killing the quality. However, a couple of massive swells roll in on the 30th and 31st. The 30th sees an 8ft to 10ft cross-onshore swell, which is big and messy. But Monday the 31st of August is a gem. We’re back to a 7ft southwest swell with a 16-second period, and the wind is glassy. That’s a big, clean, powerful day for the experienced crew.

The first week of September looks like a mixed bag. Tuesday the 1st of September has a clean 8ft swell in the morning but gets blown out by a strong southerly in the afternoon. The rest of the week is a mix of small, onshore slop and a few cleaner windows. The last real standout is on Sunday the 6th of September, with a clean 6ft southwest swell and a very long 16-second period, making for a solid, clean end to the forecast period.

So, to wrap it up: if you’re a confident surfer, the Sunday the 23rd of August morning is your best bet for clean, fun waves. For the bigger, more powerful stuff, look at Friday the 28th of August and Monday the 31st of August, but those are for the experienced crew only.

Rusty.

Read more