Merewether - Ladies Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, checkin’ in from the local stretch. We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag ahead, so let’s break it down.

The week starts off pretty grim. From Tuesday the 18th of August onwards, there’s barely a ripple worth paddlin’ for. The first few days have some small swell, but it’s all cross-on, choppy, or just plain ordinary. The water’s a bit colder than normal for this time of year, sittin’ at 64°F, about 2°F cooler than usual, so you’ll want a decent steamer.

Wednesday the 19th sees a brief moment of hope. Early morning, the wind goes glassy with a light NNE breeze, and we’ve got a clean 2ft of ESE swell, period around 10 seconds. It’s small, but glassy conditions make it super clean. Combined swell energy is moderate at 204. It’s the best on offer in the first week, but you’ll be scratchin’ for waves.

Then we hit a real dry spell. From Thursday the 20th right through to Saturday the 29th of August, it’s mostly junk. Tiny waves, poor conditions, and the occasional cross-off or offshore wind that just can’t do much with the lack of size. The standout from this whole period? It’s a long way off, but the morning of Sunday the 30th of August. We’ve got a solid 12ft SSE groundswell, period a massive 18 seconds, rolling in. The combined swell energy is absolutely pumping at 10361—that’s strong to very strong energy. The wind is a gentle cross-shore from the SSW, which keeps it surfable, though there’s a slight cross-chop. This is big, powerful stuff, only for experienced surfers. It’s the only real standout in the whole outlook, but it’s over a week away, so keep an eye on it.

By Monday the 31st of August, the swell drops to 6ft from the SSE, period 12 seconds, with glassy conditions in the morning. Still clean, but not as epic. The rest of the fortnight fades out into small, cross-on slop.

So, the pick is that Sunday the 30th of August morning session at Merewether - Ladies. It’s a reef break, very consistent, and exposed to the ESE swell direction. The crowd’s only sometimes there, so you might get a few sets to yourself. The long period (18 seconds) means it’ll be a proper groundswell, with long gaps between sets, making it easier to paddle out, but that size and power is not for the faint-hearted.

Rusty.

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