Little Joes/Between the Jetties Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – this 16-day window for our little stretch of coast is a tough one to call. The charts are showing a whole lot of nothing good for most of it, with a long stretch of messy, wind-blown conditions that just aren't worth paddling out for.

We start off with a real rough patch. From Monday the 10th of August right through to Sunday the 16th, it's a write-off. The wind is howling out of the NNW, smashing the surface into a lumpy, cross-choppy mess. The swell is there, but it's short-period, wind-affected slop. The combined energy is moderate (217 to 496), but it's all poor surf quality. You'd be fighting a losing battle.

Then there’s a bit of a lull from the 17th to the 18th. The wind finally drops, which is a positive, but the swell also peters out. Waves are around 2ft to 3ft from the SW with a long period (14 seconds), which is proper groundswell, but the energy is only moderate (267 to 349). The reports call it "marginal" – maybe a wave for a log if you're desperate, but nothing to get excited about.

The 19th and 20th see the wind pick up again, back to that nasty cross-shore/onshore NNW flow. The swell bumps up a bit, with a 5ft wave from the NW on the 19th afternoon and the combined energy ramping up to 758, but it's accompanied by a "fresh breeze" and "lumpy" conditions. It's a messy, blown-out affair.

Finally, there's a little glimmer late in the window. On Friday the 21st of August, the wind eases to a light cross-onshore breeze. The swell is 4ft from the WNW with a 10-second period, giving a moderate energy of 361 to 394. It's still "marginal", but it's the best we've got. The light winds mean it might just be clean enough for a session. But it's a far cry from pumping.

Honestly, for the rest of the window, it's mostly small, short-period junk or long-period SW groundswell that won't really stand up on this beach/jetty setup. The persistent wind is the real killer here. If you're a kiter, there’s plenty of wind to play with, but for the paddle surfer, this is a two-week stretch of bad luck. Keep an eye on the forecasts, but temper your expectations. Rusty.

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