Kirra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’m lookin’ at what’s on offer at Kirra over the next couple weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with ya – this is a tough stretch. We’ve got a solid 16-day window ahead, but there are no real standouts. The first surf recommendation is on Monday morning, August 17, and the pattern is pretty grim. For the first week, from Monday the 17th through to Sunday the 23rd, the swell is hangin’ around 3 to 7 feet, mostly from the ESE or ENE, with short periods of 7 to 8 seconds. That’s weak, short-period windswell, and the wave energy is moderate at best – between 150 and 661 (moderate energy) – but it’s all gettin’ tagged as “poor surf conditions.” The wind is cross-offshore or cross-shore most of the time, never truly glassy, and we’re seein’ scores of zero in the finder, so there’s nothin’ worth paddlin’ out for.

There’s a slight tease on Wednesday morning, August 19 – a 5-foot swell from the SE with an 11-second period, which is a bit longer, and the energy jumps to 691, but it’s described as “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” The wind is a gentle cross-offshore, so it’s clean enough, but the quality just isn’t there. Again, not a standout.

Thursday morning, August 20, brings a 5-foot swell from ESE with an 8-second period, and the wind turns offshore from the south at 6 mph, givin’ us clean conditions. Energy is 339, still moderate. But again, it’s only “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” – not the kind of day you’d plan around.

From the 21st to the 23rd, the swell drops even further – 3 to 4 feet, short period, and the winds are a mix of glassy early Friday morning (21st) but quickly turn cross-onshore or onshore. The energy drops to between 140 and 179, which is weak. Nothin’ excitin’ here.

Now we hit a gap. From Monday afternoon, August 24, through Tuesday the 25th, the swell is tiny – 2 to 3 feet, ENE, with periods of 7 to 8 seconds. The energy is between 60 and 95, very weak, and the winds are onshore or cross-onshore with choppy conditions. There’s nothin’ to recommend here for a few days.

Then on Wednesday morning, August 26, we get a spike: a 7-foot swell from the SSE with an 8-second period, but the wind is a gentle cross-onshore from the NW, makin’ it fairly choppy. Energy is 549, moderate, but the conditions are poor. Not a goer for a good surf.

Thursday afternoon, August 27, shows a 3-foot swell from the SSE with a very long 12-second period – that’s groundswell energy, and the energy is 354. But the wind is a gentle cross-shore, and it’s still all “poor surf conditions.” That long period at a point break like Kirra might have given it some shape, but at 3 feet, it’s just too small to do much.

The last bit of the period, from Friday August 28 through Tuesday September 1, has clean offshore winds on Friday morning and Saturday morning, but the swell is tiny – 2 to 3 feet, with periods from 8 to 12 seconds, and energies from 106 to 472 (all moderate). Still, every single entry says “poor surf conditions.” The finder gives these all a score of zero, so there’s no standout session.

The water temperature is not highlighted with an anomaly in the finder, so it’s about average for this time of year at Kirra.

If I had to pick the best of a bad lot, it’s Wednesday morning, August 19 – the 5-foot SE swell with an 11-second period and clean cross-offshore wind gave the only hint of surfable waves, but even then, it’s ordinary. And Thursday morning, August 20 was similarly clean but uninspiring. Nothin’ here gets a recommendation from me as a true standout. This is a pretty blank run for Kirra – sometimes the forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a long wait.

Rusty.

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