Lefthanders Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on the table for the next couple of weeks at Lefthanders. This is a reef break that’s very consistent, exposed to the swell, and it’s a beginner-friendly wave. The water’s a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 66°F.

We’ve got a serious run of big, powerful groundswell heading our way, but the catch is, for most of it, it’s just too much of a good thing. The first real standout is actually going to be right at the start, on Thursday the 27th of August. We’re looking at a solid 13ft swell from the SW with a very long period of 15 seconds. The combined energy is massive, clocking in at 6550, and the wind is a clean cross-offshore breeze. It’s a beautiful setup, but mate, that swell height is way over the 8ft mark. This is strictly for experienced surfers only. The wave energy is strong (6550), and with that long period, it’ll be a powerful, big-wave reef session. Beginners should stay well clear.

Thursday afternoon eases a touch to 10ft from the WSW, but still too big for the average punter.

Friday the 28th drops down to 8ft, and while the wind is still cross-off, the tide conditions look questionable. The energy is moderate (1757), but it’s a marginal call.

Now, here’s the good news for the weekend. Saturday the 29th of August is looking like the pick of the entire forecast. The morning shows a 7ft SW groundswell with a very long period of 16 seconds. The wind is light and cross-off from the ESE, so it’ll be glassy and clean. The combined energy is moderate (3512), and the conditions are dialed in for experienced surfers. This is the one to circle. The long period will make this reef break really stand up, offering long, clean walls. The afternoon gets bigger again at 10ft, but the wind swings to a light NE offshore, keeping it clean. If you’re an expert, the whole day is a winner.

Sunday the 30th is another big day, with 12ft in the morning and 10ft in the afternoon. The morning is clean with a light NE offshore, but the afternoon gets a light cross-on from the NNW. Still, for the experts, the morning session will be firing with very strong energy (6797).

After that, things turn ugly. From Monday the 31st of August through to the 5th of September, we’ve got strong onshore winds, lumpy conditions, and a lot of poor surf. The swell stays big, but with the wind all wrong, it’s a write-off. There’s a brief window on the 4th of September afternoon where the wind goes cross-shore, but it’s still messy.

The 7th of September, Monday morning, is another tease. We get a 13ft SW groundswell with that long period (15 seconds) and a clean cross-off breeze from the ENE. The energy is very strong (5984), but again, it’s a 13ft wave. That’s big, powerful, and not for the faint of heart.

The rest of the second week, from the 8th of September onward, is a mix of onshore winds, big swell, and poor conditions. The 10th of September has strong winds and rain, making it a total mess. The 11th of September finishes with choppy, lumpy, cross-onshore wind.

So, the bottom line: the standout is the morning of Saturday the 29th of August. That’s the one where the stars align for a clean, powerful, long-period swell at a manageable size. The 27th and 30th are for the big-wave crew only. The rest of the run is largely a windy, messy washout. If you’re not an expert, the window is very narrow.

Rusty

Read more