Little Austi and Main Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are going to test your patience. We’ve got a long, flat stretch ahead, but there’s a glimmer of real hope at the end of the tunnel if you’re willing to wait it out.

The Overall Pattern

The start of this outlook is a write-off. For the first few days, we’re looking at tiny, weak swells with poor conditions. There’s a lot of nothing happening, and the little bumps that show up are messy and unorganized. You’ll be staring at a flat ocean for a while. The first real chance of anything worth paddling out for doesn't show up until the middle of the second week, and even then, it’s going to be a game of patience. The real standout, the one you should circle on the calendar, is the Tuesday the 18th. That’s the day the ocean finally wakes up with some proper energy.

Wednesday 5th – Sunday 9th August

Forget it. The first few days are a total dud. Swell heights are down around 0.7ft to 2ft, with weak energy readings in the 15 to 115 range. The wind is mostly cross or cross-off, but there’s just no power in the water. The best you can say is Saturday morning (8th) might be glassy, but it’s still only 1ft and weak. These are days for checking the surf cam, not the wax.

Monday 10th – Tuesday 11th August

There’s a slight pulse of energy on Monday, with the swell pushing up to 4ft and moderate energy (268), but the conditions are still poor. Tuesday is where things start to change. The morning is still small, but the afternoon (11th) brings in a 4ft northeast swell with a moderate offshore breeze. The energy is building (212), and for the first time, the description says "expect good surf conditions." It’s not huge, but it’s clean and might be worth a sneaky session if you’re desperate.

Wednesday 12th – Sunday 16th August

We slide back into the doldrums. The swell drops back to under 3ft, and the wind turns onshore and choppy. The energy readings are weak again, and the surf is just poor. This is the dead zone. You’ll be waiting for days.

The Big One: Monday 17th – Tuesday 18th August

This is it. The forecast shows a new swell filling in on Monday the 17th. The morning is still a bit rough, but the afternoon (17th) turns glassy with a 4ft southeast swell. The energy is strong (361), and the conditions are described as "expect good surf conditions." But the real standout is the following morning, Tuesday 18th. The wind is calm, the surf is glassy, and we’re expecting a 5ft southeast swell with a period of 10 seconds. The combined energy is a solid 570, which is a proper push of water. This is the best surf of the entire outlook. The swell direction is slightly off the optimum (ENE), but the power and the clean conditions will make it work. It’s a solid, clean, fun-sized day.

Wednesday 19th – Thursday 20th August

The swell backs off again, but there are still some rights on the tail end. Wednesday morning (19th) has a 3ft east-southeast swell with a cross-off breeze, which is surfable. It’s a come-down from the day before, but it’s not a complete flat spell.

The Spot

The only break in the data is Little Austi and Main Beach. It’s a beach and reef setup, fairly consistent, but it’s exposed to the east-northeast. The optimum swell direction is ENE, so the southeast swells we see later in the window aren’t perfect, but they’ll still wrap in. The water temperature is about average for this time of year.

The Verdict

If you can wait, the standout is clearly the morning of Tuesday 18th. That’s your day. The Tuesday afternoon (11th) is a smaller, cleaner blip, but the 18th is the one with real size and power. If you’re a beginner, be careful on the 18th – 5ft is getting up there, and it might be too much. For the rest of us, it’s a go. The long wait is worth it for that one.

Be patient, keep the board waxed, and be ready.

Rusty.

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