Last Chance Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Last Chance is cooking up for us over the next couple of weeks.

It’s a bit of a slow burn, but there are a few moments that’ll get the blood pumping if you play your cards right. The first real window opens on Friday morning, August 7th. The water’s sitting at 55°, which is about a degree colder than we’re used to for this time of year, so don’t forget the booties. We’ve got a solid 4ft swell running from the SSE with a very long 17-second period – that’s proper groundswell energy. The wave energy is strong at 1393, and with glassy conditions and a clear sky, this is going to be clean as a whistle. This is prime for experienced surfers, so if you’ve got the skill, this Friday morning is your standout. The swell direction matches the optimum NE direction? Well, it’s a point break, so that long-period SSE groundswell will wrap in nicely. Keep in mind, that long period can make it a bit straight at the beach, but on a point like this, it’s going to line up beautifully.

Saturday morning, August 8th, is the other real highlight. The swell bumps up to 6ft from the SSE, period still a healthy 12 seconds, and wave energy is solid at 1156. Winds are glassy from the NNW, so it’s another session of clean, lined-up waves. This is still in the advanced zone with that size, but if you’re comfortable in overhead surf, you’ll be grinning.

Now, after those two mornings, things get a bit ordinary. Sunday and Monday are smaller and the winds get messy, so it’s not worth paddling out. We’ve got a gap of poor to marginal conditions from Sunday afternoon right through the middle of the following week. The swell drops off, and we get cross-onshore winds and short-period junk.

There’s a flicker of hope on Tuesday morning, August 11th, with a 3ft SE swell at 12 seconds and clean conditions, but the energy is only moderate at 468 – it’s surfable but nothing to write home about.

Then we hit a long dry spell. From Wednesday the 12th all the way through Saturday the 15th, it’s mostly small and choppy. The swell sticks around the 2ft to 5ft range but with short periods and moderate to fresh onshore winds. Honestly, this stretch looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, especially with those consistent cross-on breezes.

Things start to look up again on Sunday morning, August 16th. We’ve got a 5ft S swell, but with a short 7-second period, so the quality won’t be amazing. The afternoon, however, is worth noting: the swell hits 7ft from the S, still short-period, but the winds turn light offshore from the SSW. It’s going to be a bit fat and bumpy, but there’s some grunt there for the experienced crew.

The big stuff arrives on Monday and Tuesday, August 17th and 18th. We’re looking at 6ft to 7ft SSE/S swells, with wave energy jumping to 1214 on Monday afternoon. The winds are cross-offshore and clean, but the period stays short (8-10 seconds). This is big, powerful, but a bit messy. It’s expert territory, especially when it gets over 7ft. The best of this push might be Monday afternoon if you can handle the size, but it’s not the clean, lined-up groundswell we had at the start.

The end of the forecast period, from Wednesday the 19th onward, fades out again. Small waves and strong winds on Thursday the 20th and Friday the 21st bring a 6ft to 8ft S swell, but with howling SSW winds of 22-28 mph. The wave energy gets up to 2898 on Friday morning, but with that wind, it’s going to be a washing machine. Not for the faint-hearted.

Best on offer: Without a doubt, Friday morning, August 7th and Saturday morning, August 8th at Last Chance. Clean, glassy, solid groundswell with excellent shape. If you can only pick one session, make it that Friday morning.

Rusty

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