L Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for L Jetty over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you—it's a tough stretch. The whole 16-day window is a bit of a flat spell, with only the last few days showing any real pulse. For the first week and a half, you're looking at tiny, weak, and mostly messy conditions. From the 13th of August right through to the 26th of August, the swell is small, the period is short, and the wind is often not doing us any favours. It's a long gap of poor surf, with only a few moments of clean but tiny waves. The real interest doesn't start to build until the very end of the period.

The best of what's on offer is going to be Thursday, the 27th of August and Friday, the 28th of August at L Jetty. This is the standout run, even if it's a bit stormy and uncertain. On Thursday morning, we get a solid pulse of swell from the ENE, pushing up to 6ft with a short period of 6 seconds. The combined energy is strong at 308 (moderate to strong wave energy). The wind is cross-shore from the SSE, making it a bit lumpy, but it's a serious step up in size. The afternoon swings to a cross-offshore breeze from the SW, with the swell dropping slightly to 5ft, but the energy is still solid at 240. The wind is clean, so the surf will be a lot more organised. This is a short-period swell, so it won't have the same punch or shape as a groundswell, but for size, this is the day. If you're an experienced surfer, this is your window.

Friday the 28th rolls in with a clean, cross-offshore breeze from the NW in the morning. The swell has backed off a bit to 5ft from the east, with a 7-second period and energy of 183 (moderate). It's a much cleaner, more manageable day. The wind is good, the swell is solid, and it's a far cry from the dribble we've been seeing. This is the better option for the average surfer who wants a decent wave without the stormy vibes of the day before. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

The only other flicker of life is late on Wednesday the 26th of August, when we get a small, clean, cross-offshore afternoon with a 1ft swell from the SE and a 10-second period. The energy is 63 (weak), so it's just a little something to wet the line. The crowd can be an issue here, so keep that in mind on any of the better days.

In short, don't waste your petrol until the 27th. The first two weeks are a write-off for any kind of decent surf. The end of the run offers a bit of a taste of something bigger, but with the storm risks and short-period swell, it's not a classic. Still, it's the best we've got.

Rusty.

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