Lefthanders Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, checking in on the options for the next couple of weeks. It’s a heavy stretch ahead, no doubt about it.

The whole forecast period is dominated by one spot: Lefthanders. This is a very consistent reef break, exposed to the swell, but it’s not for the faint of heart. Right from the start, the ocean is fired up and angry. Thursday the 6th kicks off with a massive 13ft WSW groundswell, with a very long period of 16 seconds, and a combined wave energy of 8707. That’s a lot of power, but it’s blown out with 22 mph cross-on winds. The water is sitting at 68°, which is 4° warmer than normal – that’s notably warm for this time of year. The conditions are just plain poor for surfing.

This pattern of huge, powerful swell and dirty wind sticks around for days. Friday the 7th, Saturday the 8th brings a 23ft monster, and it stays over 13ft for days on end. The wind is a problem almost every day, often onshore or cross-onshore and strong. From the 6th right through to the 13th, the only call is "poor surf conditions" or the swell is "too big for this break." The entire first week is a wipeout for any sort of quality session.

The first real glimmer of hope arrives on Friday, August 14th. The morning shows a 15ft SW groundswell with a 16-second period – still a big, long-period groundswell. But the wind drops and goes cross-offshore from the NNE at just 6 mph. The comment reads "clean." That’s the standout for the whole outlook. The power is intense (combined energy of 9402), but for an expert surfer on a reef, this could be magic. Crowds are often here, and on a Friday with that much size and clean conditions, expect a few boats and a crew out. It's still huge, so this is for experienced chargers only.

After that, things get tricky again. Saturday the 15th starts clean with a 10ft swell, but the wind rips up quickly. Then from the 16th onward, it’s back to lumpy, onshore junk for the most part. There are a couple of late, promising moments, like Thursday the 20th afternoon, where the swell drops to 15ft from the WSW with a 15-second period and the wind goes *glassy* with a combined energy of 11031. That’s a serious session in waiting, but it's nearly two weeks away and a lot can change. The following Friday the 21st also looks clean again with cross-off winds and a 13-15ft SW swell. These are the late highlights, but the long-range calls have that "wait and see" feeling to them.

For a beginner, the entire 16-day window is a no-go. Everything is over 5ft, and for most of it, over 8ft, making it expert territory only. The consistent size and power, combined with very long periods, mean this is a reef and point break show—not a beach break for learners.

So, to sum it up: one really good window on Friday the 14th morning if you’re an expert, and a couple of potential late clean-ups around the 20th and 21st. The rest of the time it’s big and messy.

Rusty

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