Little Avalon Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s talk about Little Avalon. It’s a reef break that takes an easterly swell, and for the next 16 days, we’re looking at a pretty lean stretch, so don’t expect to be rushing down there with a shortboard.

The first week is a write-off. From Friday the 28th of August right through to Thursday the 3rd of September, it’s tiny flatness—waves barely reaching 1 ft from the ENE with a short, weak period around 8 or 9 seconds. The combined energy is scraping the bottom of the barrel, sitting around 26 (weak). It’s poor surf, full stop. There are a couple of calm, glassy mornings in there (like Friday 28th morning and Monday 31st morning) which would be nice if there were any swell, but there isn’t.

Finally, on Thursday the 3rd of September in the afternoon, things lift just a fraction. We get a clean, offshore wind from the southwest at 6 mph, and the swell nudges up ever so slightly to 1 ft from the ENE with a 10-second period. The combined energy climbs to a moderate 52. The comment says it’s “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” It’s still small, but it’s clean and you might snag a knee-high wave if you’re desperate.

Friday the 4th of September morning is the first real glimmer of hope. Glassy conditions with a NNW breeze of just 3 mph, and the swell holds at 1 ft from the ENE with a 10-second period. Combined energy sits at a moderate 54. It’s still tiny, but it’s about as clean as it gets, and for a spot like this, that’s the best we’re going to see for a while.

After that, it’s back to the doldrums. Saturday the 5th through to Tuesday the 8th of September sees the swell drop to 0.7-1.0 ft with combined energy falling back under 40 (weak). Not worth paddling out for.

Now, the second week starts to get interesting, but it comes with a big caveat. On Wednesday the 9th of September, the swell jumps to 4 ft from the NNE, but the period is a short, messy 6 seconds, and the wind is cross-onshore at 9 mph. The combined energy bumps up to a moderate 125, but the conditions are poor.

The standout, if you can call it that, comes on Thursday the 10th of September in the afternoon. The swell picks up to 7 ft from the NE with a 7-second period, and the combined energy rockets up to a strong 573. That’s a lot of water moving. The problem is the wind is onshore from the NE at 6 mph, and the wave comment says it’s “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions.” For the experts, there might be some heavy, raw closeouts, but at over 5 ft and short period on a reef, this is not for the faint-hearted. It’s a true expert-only window, and even then, it’s going to be pretty ugly with the onshore wind. Given the size and that onshore wind, this setup actually looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th see the swell drop quickly back to 4 ft then 2 ft, with combined energy falling to 218 (moderate) and then 57 (weak), and cross-onshore winds messing up the surface again.

Bottom line: Little Avalon has a very lean forecast. The only real pulse of size comes on Thursday the 10th of September, but it’s a raw, onshore mess for experts only. The cleanest, most surfable time will be those light wind windows on the 3rd and 4th of September, when the swell is tiny but glassy. For most of this 16-day window, you’re better off finding something else to do.

Rusty.

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