Lefthanders Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s take a look at what’s coming up for Lefthanders. This is a reef break that’s very consistent, exposed to the swell, and loves a WSW pulse. The water is sitting at 68°—that’s about 5° warmer than normal for this time of year, so it’s notably warmer than usual. The first week is a write-off for paddling, with a massive swell that’s just too big for anyone but the most experienced—and even then, it’s not clean. The real standout is tucked away later in the period.

We start off on Saturday, August 8th, with a hefty 23ft SW swell (16 seconds) and a combined energy of 26693—that’s very strong. Wind is a strong cross-shore from the SSW at 28 mph, so it’s messy and blown out. The swell is just too big for this break. Sunday, August 9th, sees it drop to 16ft, but the wind is cross-on and choppy, and the surf is poor. Monday, August 10th, is a write-off with near gale cross-onshore winds at 31 mph and blown-out conditions. Tuesday, August 11th, still has a 20ft SW swell (16 seconds) with a combined energy of 19258. The wind is a fresh cross-on, and it’s too big again. Wednesday, August 12th, through to Thursday, August 13th, the swell drops to 13ft–15ft, but it’s still too big for this break, and the wind is light onshore.

Friday, August 14th, is the first real glimmer. The swell is 12ft from the SW (16 seconds) with a combined energy of 6208, but the wind is a clean cross-off from the NNE at 9 mph. The report says it’s clean—this is the best of the first week, but at 12ft it’s still big for a reef break, only for experts. Crowds are often here, so expect company.

Saturday, August 15th, starts to get more manageable. The morning sees a 8ft SW swell (14 seconds) with a combined energy of 2822, light cross-shore wind, but it’s only marginal due to tide. The afternoon bump to 10ft from the WSW is still a bit much for beginners. Sunday, August 16th, has a clean 8ft W swell (13 seconds) in the morning with a fresh cross-off, but it’s marginal. The afternoon is 12ft from the WSW with a fresh cross-shore and lumpy.

Now, the standout: Monday, August 17th, morning. The swell is 16ft from the WSW (16 seconds) with a combined energy of 13927—that’s strong. The wind is a light cross-on from the NW at 6 mph, and the report says wind and tide are favorable. This is a big, powerful groundswell with a very long period of 16 seconds, which is great for this reef break. It’s too big for beginners, but for experts, this is the best of the whole window. The afternoon turns choppy with a fresh cross-on.

After that, it gets messy again. Tuesday, August 18th, is poor with near gale onshore winds. Wednesday, August 19th, morning has a 21ft WSW swell (14 seconds) with a combined energy of 18197—too big again. The afternoon is a monster 21ft WSW swell (18 seconds) with a combined energy of 26962, but it’s strong cross-onshore and messy. Thursday, August 20th, is poor. Friday, August 21st, through Saturday, August 22nd, stays poor with fresh to strong cross-onshore winds. Sunday, August 23rd, has a 18ft WSW swell (18 seconds) with a combined energy of 20810, but it’s lumpy and cross-on.

There’s a long gap of no good surf from the start until the 14th, and then again after the 17th. The only real standout is Monday, August 17th, morning—it’s big, powerful, and clean, but only for the experienced. The rest of the window is either too big, blown out, or marginal. If you’re a kite surfer, the strong winds and big swell from the 8th to the 12th and again on the 19th and 20th will be more interesting than paddle surfing.

Rusty.

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