Leftovers/Rightovers Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. I gotta be straight with you—this 16-day run for Leftovers/Rightovers is a real struggle. We’re looking at a long stretch of small, cross-off swell, and it’s going to be a pretty bleak picture for most of the period. There’s nothing that really screams "go time," but we’ll get through it.

Right off the bat, Sunday the 23rd of August, we’ve got some small 2ft swell out of the WNW with an 11-second period, but it’s weak with only 111 combined energy. The wind is a fresh cross-off from the ENE at 19 mph, so it’s clean but the surf is just poor. This sets the tone for the next week and a half—tiny, unexciting waves. Most mornings and afternoons through to the end of August show 1ft or 1ft NW windswell, with energy numbers dropping into the 20s and teens. The water temp is 81°, which is only 0.7° above the norm, so pretty average for the time of year at this reef.

There’s a little bump on Sunday the 30th of August in the afternoon—5ft NE swell, but it’s a short-period 7-second windswell with 195 combined energy. The wind is a fresh cross-shore from the NE at 19 mph, creating lumpy cross-chop. It’s not great. Then Monday the 31st has 4ft to 4ft NE swell, still short, still cross-off wind, and frankly, still poor.

We hit a flat patch on Tuesday the 1st of September with no swell recorded in the morning, but the afternoon brings a 6ft NE swell at a 9-second period and a massive 439 combined energy. That’s the biggest energy spike in the whole forecast, but it’s accompanied by a moderate cross-shore wind and cross-chop, so the quality is still rated as poor. This is a short-period windswell that won’t line up well here—not the kind of wave you want to paddle for. Honestly, with the size and the messy wind, this looks more like a kite-surfing setup than a clean surfing session.

After that, it’s back to tiny stuff through the first week of September, with most days showing zeros or 0.7ft to 1ft, and energy numbers in the single digits or low teens. There’s a tiny 2ft pulse from the north on the 7th of September, with a light cross-shore wind, but again, it’s small and poor.

So, the standout? There honestly isn’t one. The 6ft spike on September 1st afternoon has the most energy, but it’s messy and short-period. If you’re desperate, that’s the only window where there’s enough push to maybe find a close-out barrel, but don’t expect much. The rest is a long stretch of flat or near-flat conditions. Keep your board in the car and your eyes on the forecast—it tends not to stay this poor forever.

Rusty.

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