Little Austi and Main Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – if you’re looking for a solid session over the next couple of weeks, you’re going to have to be patient. This stretch is a bit of a mixed bag with a whole lot of flat, ordinary days. The first real glimmer of proper surf doesn’t show up until Wednesday the 19th of August, and even then, it’s a one-morning wonder. After that, we’ve got a long, dry run of tiny, messy waves until the very end of the month. The standout is a late, promising pulse right at the start of September.

Let’s break it down. We’re talking about Little Austi and Main Beach, a beach and reef setup that’s fairly consistent, but it’s exposed to the swell. The water temp is sitting pretty at 64°F right now, which is about average for this time of year – nothing to write home about.

The first noteworthy session is on Wednesday morning, the 19th of August. It’s early, it’s clear, with a light NNE breeze blowing cross-offshore. That’s clean. Swell is a small 4 ft out of the east, but the period is a very short, weak 6 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at 234. It’s surfable, but you’ll be working for it. This is the best of the early week, but it’s nothing to get overly excited about. The afternoon turns to junk with a cross-shore NE wind.

Then we hit a wall. From Thursday the 20th all the way through to Sunday the 30th of August, the surf is mostly tiny – under 3 ft. There are a few moments of glassy, clean conditions, like Thursday afternoon (20th) with a 2 ft swell and glassy conditions, and Friday afternoon (21st) with 2 ft and glassy. But the energy is weak (55 and 40 respectively), and the wave quality is just “ordinary.” You’ll get a dribble, not a wave. For kite surfers, the setup on these days is more interesting than for paddle surfing.

The game changes on Monday the 31st of August. The morning is still ordinary, but the afternoon brings a jump. A 5 ft swell from the SSE with a moderate 12-second period, and a combined energy of 713 – that’s strong, powerful energy. The swell direction is a good match for the optimum ENE. But the wind is a cross-shore NE breeze at 12 mph, which will chop it up and make it messy. It’s borderline, and the conditions are marginal. This one is for the keen, experienced surfers only.

Now, the real standout. Tuesday morning, the 1st of September is your best bet. Clear skies, a light NNE breeze blowing cross-offshore – that’s clean. Swell is a fun 4 ft from the SSE, with a solid 10-second period. The combined energy is a strong 305. This is proper groundswell, and the direction is favourable. The wind will have it looking clean and lined up. It’s not huge, but it’s the best quality wave on offer in the whole outlook. Keep an eye on this one, but it’s still a week away, so treat it as promising but not locked in. The afternoon on the 1st drops back to nothing.

After that, it’s flat again. Wednesday the 2nd of September is tiny and not worth a paddle.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a struggle with a few small, clean windows. The second week has a pulse of bigger, more powerful swell on the 31st, but it’s messy. The clear winner is the morning of the 1st of September – clean, decent groundswell, and good energy. That’s the one to circle.

Rusty.

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