Lefthanders Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here, and I'm lookin' straight at Lefthanders for the next couple of weeks. First thing you gotta know – the water's sittin' at a toasty 66°, which is a touch warmer than what we'd normally expect this time of year. So you can leave the thick suit at home.

The big picture is a bit of a mixed bag. We've got some serious size coming through from the get-go, but the wind is gonna be a real nuisance for a lot of it. The wave energy is strong, gettin' up into the thousands from the word go, but don't get too excited just yet.

Friday, August 28th, we see a clean 8 ft SW groundswell with a 12-second period rollin' in. The offshore wind is SE at 12 mph, which is nice and cross-off, but the report says it's marginal, and I'd only give it a 3. So it's not the pick of the week.

Now, Saturday, August 29th... this is where it starts to get interesting. Saturday morning has a clean, offshore wind from the ESE at 12 mph paired with a 7 ft SW swell that's got a really long 16-second period – that's proper groundswell energy, makin' for some well-shaped waves. The combined energy is huge, and it's rated excellent for experienced surfers. This is a standout. Saturday afternoon turns glassy – a 3 mph easterly breeze – and the swell jumps to a powerful 10 ft from the SW with a 17-second period. However, that's gettin' into the "too big for beginners" territory, and the report says it might be too big for this break. For the experienced crew, though, Saturday afternoon is the one to aim for.

Sunday, August 30th, the swell is still pumping at 12 ft from the SW in the morning with a 17-second period and a 10 ft from the WSW in the afternoon. The wind, though, is cross-off from the NE in the morning and cross-on from the NNW in the arvo. Again, this is expert territory size-wise. Not the cleanest day, but there'll be waves.

Then we hit a rough patch. From Monday, August 31st all the way through Thursday, September 5th, the wind gets nasty – strong onshores, cross-onshore, even a gale on the 5th – and the surf is poor or blown out. The swell stays big, often over 8 ft and up to 12 ft, but it's just not worth paddlin' out in that mess. That's about a 5-day gap of no good surf.

We get a bit of a breather on Sunday, September 6th. The wind swings back to a light cross-off from the SE, and the swell drops to a much friendlier 5 ft in the morning and 4 ft in the afternoon. It's clean, and conditions look very good. This is a nice option for a broader range of surfers.

Monday, September 7th brings in a smaller 4 ft SSW swell, but the wind is cross-shore and then cross-onshore, so it gets a bit chopped out. Tuesday the 8th shows a building swell again, hitting 8 ft from the WSW with a 14-second period, but the wind is onshore and cross-onshore, making it marginal.

Now, be careful with what comes after. From Wednesday, September 9th, we see absolutely massive swell – 16 ft, 18 ft, 21 ft – with wave energy skyrocketing into five digits. This is huge, dangerous stuff, only for the most expert chargers, and even then, the winds are often onshore or cross-shore, making it a messy, heavy, and intense situation. It's not a beginner's game at all. This pattern continues into the second week, right through to September 12th, with solid 12 ft to 13 ft swell but persistent onshore or cross-onshore winds.

So to wrap it up: the absolute standout of the whole 16-day window is Saturday, August 29th, especially the afternoon. The glassy, offshore conditions and long-period groundswell are a surfer's dream, even if the size pushes it past intermediate limits. The morning of the 29th is also excellent. Sunday, September 6th is your next best bet, offering clean, smaller waves for when you just want a fun, easy session.

Rusty

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