Kerhillio Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a long, hard look at what Kerhillio's got cookin' for us over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you, it's a bit of a tough stretch. The swell is there, but the wind is gonna be the main character in this story, and it's not always a friendly one.

The pattern for the next 16 days is dominated by a lot of onshore and cross-onshore wind, which is gonna mess up what could otherwise be some decent-sized waves. We're seeing moderate combined swell energy for much of the period, but it's almost always accompanied by a chop that'll have you working twice as hard for a so-so ride.

Starting off on Tuesday the 25th and Wednesday the 26th, we've got tiny, weak surf. The combined energy is a measly 34 and 51, with small 1 ft to 2 ft waves from the southwest. The wind is on it or cross-onshore, so it's a bit of a write-off for a real surf session. Wednesday afternoon sees a brief window with a light E wind that's cross-off, cleaning things up for what are described as "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions". It's a one out of ten, so don't get too excited.

Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th see a jump in size. The swell builds to 3 ft and then 8 ft from the WSW, with the combined energy climbing into the moderate range, hitting 196 and then a whopping 893 on Friday afternoon. But here’s the kicker: the wind is hammering it onshore or cross-onshore, from the SW and W at 16 to 22 mph. That 8 ft on Friday afternoon is going to be a lumpy, choppy mess, and frankly, at that size with that wind, this is more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle-surfing one. Not for beginners, and even experts will be grumbling.

We go into the weekend of the 29th and 30th with that strong SW wind still blowing, keeping conditions ragged. The swell is still chunky, around 7 ft to 7 ft on Saturday, with combined energy in the 463 to 514 range, but it's all blown out.

There's a little glimmer on Sunday the 30th morning. The swell drops to a manageable 4 ft from the WSW, and the wind goes almost glassy at just 3 mph from the SW, but it's still onshore. The notes call it "marginal", so it's a gamble. After that, the wind picks right back up.

The first week of September is a repeating story: moderate swell, 4 ft to 5 ft from the W, with moderate combined swell energy (263 to 812), but almost always with a cross-onshore wind from the WSW or W. There are a couple of "marginal" calls on the 2nd of September with a 5 ft W swell (10-second period) and lighter WSW wind, but that cross-onshore component is still there. This is a solid 10-second groundswell period, which would normally mean better shaped waves, but the wind will be chopping them up.

Now, if you're looking for the absolute best on offer in this whole outlook, you have to wait until Monday the 7th of September afternoon. We get a 5 ft W swell with a moderate combined swell energy of 821, and crucially, the wind swings around to a cross-offshore from the N at 16 mph. The guidance calls that "clean". This is the standout window. It's the only time we get a solid, clean forecast. The swell is over 5 ft, so it's a bit punchy for beginners, but for the rest of you, that's your session.

Then on Tuesday the 8th of September morning, we get another clean window, but the swell has dropped significantly to 3 ft from the W with a long 10-second period, with a light cross-offshore SE wind. Combined energy is only 177, so it's weak, but it'll be clean and small.

The very end of the forecast, on the 9th of September, shows a 4 ft swell with a very long 13-second period from the W, and a combined energy of 568. But, as per the pattern, it's lumped up by a fresh cross-onshore wind. That long period groundswell would be a dream at a point break or reef, but with that onshore wind at Kerhillio, it's going to be a bumpy ride.

So, there you have it. A lot of windy, average days, but if you're patient, the afternoon of the 7th of September is your best bet by a long shot. It's the only real standout in the bunch. Keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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