Southport Main Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright mate, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Southport Main Beach.

To be honest, it’s a pretty grim stretch ahead. We’re looking at a solid two weeks of mostly poor surf conditions, with the odd fleeting moment that’s barely worth a mention. The water is sitting at 68°, which is about 1° cooler than normal for this time of year, so nothing too unusual there.

The first real chance to paddle out doesn’t come until Friday the 21st of August in the morning. It’s a 3ft swell from the east, with a short period of 7 seconds behind it. The wind is glassy, and that’s a rare treat here, so the surface will be clean. But the energy is weak (173), and the conditions are just ordinary. It’s not going to be a stand-out session, just something to get wet on.

After that, a few mornings offer a flicker of hope. Saturday the 22nd has a tiny 2ft east-northeast swell with a light north-northwest cross-offshore breeze, keeping it clean, but that’s about it. The energy is very weak (58). Sunday the 23rd repeats the pattern: 3ft from the east-northeast, 8 second period, and glassy conditions in the morning. Again, the energy is still low (83).

Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th have some cross-offshore winds, but the swell is tiny and the energy is moderate at best (102 on Tuesday). Still, nothing worth getting excited about. The standout window, if you can call it that, is early Friday morning the 21st simply because it’s the only glassy day with a 3ft swell. The rest of the run is a write-off.

The period from the 27th of August right through to the end of the outlook gets worse. Swell drops to 2ft, then 2ft, and the winds switch to strong, cross-onshore or cross-shore, creating lumpy, choppy junk. The energy bottoms out (28 to 58). The 30th of August has a 1ft swell from the southeast with a 14 second period, giving a moderate 120 energy, but it’s blown out by a moderate cross-shore wind. It’s not surfable.

By the 2nd of September, we get a pulse of 3ft easterly swell with a short 6 second period, but it’s a messy cross-onshore situation with rain showers. The energy is moderate (114), but the quality is poor.

The best on offer: The only real window is the morning of Friday the 21st of August. It’s small, but it’s the cleanest glassy conditions we’ll see, with a 3ft east swell. For a beginner, that’s your best bet. Everything else is either too small, too messy, or too blown out to bother.

Rusty.

Read more