La Barra Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, grab a coffee and settle in – I’ve been poring over the charts for our local stretch, and there’s a bit of a mixed bag coming our way. The main event is this long-period SSW groundswell that’s going to be pulsing in, keeping things interesting for a good stretch. The real standout is this Friday morning, September 4th.

We’re kicking off the forecast period with a cracker. Friday morning, September 4th, at La Barra, the water is sitting at 87°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year. The swell is a solid 4ft from the SSW with a super-long 17-second period, packing a lot of punch (combined energy of 1064). The wind is glassy from the NW, and the whole setup is screaming good surf. It’s a river/jetty break, so that long period energy will be wrapping in nicely, offering proper shaped waves. This one’s for the experienced crew – the size and power are a bit much for beginners. The crowds can be on sometimes, but for a Friday morning like this, it’s worth the chance.

Later that Friday afternoon, the wind swings to a cross-shore from the SW at 20 km/h, and the quality drops off. It gets messy with a cross-chop, so I’d be out of the water by lunch.

Saturday the 5th looks good again in the morning. The swell bumps up to 5ft from the SSW, period still a solid 16 seconds, and the energy is pumping (1234). The wind is calm, glassy – unreal conditions for the experienced surfer. Afternoon, the wind turns cross-onshore and the surface gets choppy, so it’s a morning mission.

Sunday the 6th has a smaller morning – 4ft SSW, 15-second period, glassy wind from the ESE. It’s a very good session, but the swell energy drops to 681. The afternoon sees the cross-onshore chop creep in again.

Monday the 7th, the swell drops to 3ft, but the morning is glassy from the NW. It’s good, clean, but smaller. Afternoon is a write-off with a moderate cross-onshore.

Tuesday the 8th, the swell is down to 3ft, morning glassy, but it’s pretty weak. The afternoon is choppy again.

We then hit a bit of a lull. From Wednesday the 9th through to the weekend, the swell hovers around 2ft to 3ft, with some mornings offering glassy conditions, but it’s just not doing much. The energy is low (194 to 434). The 14th of September Monday morning has a tiny 2ft swell but with a 19-second period from the SSW – that’s a long period groundswell, but it’s extremely small. That’s a tease.

The next real standout is Thursday morning, September 10th. The swell kicks back up to 4ft from the SSW, 17-second period, and the energy is back up to 830. The wind is calm, glassy. This is a very good session. The crowds could be there, but it’s a Thursday, so you might get lucky.

Friday morning the 11th is also decent – 3ft, glassy, clean. But Saturday the 12th and Sunday the 13th are small and weak.

Now, looking further ahead into the second week, there’s some promise. Tuesday morning, September 15th, has a 3ft swell from the SSW with an 18-second period, and the wind is cross-offshore from the W, keeping it clean. The energy is 536 – it’s a solid session for the size. Then Wednesday morning, September 16th, the wind is offshore from the NW, 3ft swell, 15-second period – clean, fun waves.

The real dark horse in the long-range is Saturday morning, September 19th. The swell is only 3ft from the SSW, but the period is a massive 19 seconds, and the energy is 878. The wind is glassy from the ESE. This is a very good session, but that long period at a river/jetty break could be a bit walled-up. It’s promising, but it’s a long way out, so keep an eye on it.

Honestly, there’s no true “all-timer” in the mix, but the Friday the 4th and Thursday the 10th mornings are the standouts. Get out there for those.

Rusty.

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