Merewether - Ladies Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

First up, the water temp is sitting at 64°, which is about 1° cooler than the long-term average for this time of year – nothing too wild, right around normal for the season.

Honestly, it’s a pretty quiet start. We’ve got a long stretch of small, ordinary surf ahead. The first few days from Tuesday the 4th through to the end of the first week are offering tiny waves, mostly around 1ft to 3ft. The energy is weak, with combined swell energy readings mostly under 100 (e.g., 48, 46, 50) – that’s not much to get excited about. There are some clean windows with cross-off or glassy conditions, like Wednesday afternoon the 5th with a glassy NE wind, but the swell is just too small to really get going. It’s surfable if you’re desperate, but it’s very ordinary.

We hit a bit of a lull through the middle of the second week. The weekend of the 9th and 10th is still small, with a bit of a bump on Monday the 10th morning – we see a 3ft ENE swell with a fresh offshore NW wind at 19 mph, which will keep things clean. But the energy is still only moderate at 170, and the period is short at 9 seconds, so it’s not going to offer much shape.

The real standout window doesn’t arrive until the following week. On Friday the 14th of August, we finally get some proper size. The morning shows a 6ft south swell, with a period of 12 seconds – that’s a solid groundswell. The combined energy jumps to 874, which is strong. The wind is a light SSW at 6 mph, creating a light cross-shore. This is the best on offer, but it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The swell is getting up there, over 5ft, so it’s starting to push beyond beginner territory, and the onshore conditions in the afternoon (SE 9 mph) will mess it up. The morning session is the pick.

That Saturday the 15th afternoon has a massive 22-second period swell from the SSE, with energy at 710, but it’s onshore wind and only 2ft – that long period with no size means it’ll be close to unsurfable at Merewether - Ladies, a reef setup. Long period swells need a good bank to line up, and with onshore wind, it’s a pass.

The pick of the whole forecast: Friday morning the 14th of August. The 6ft south swell, 12-second period, and light SSW cross-shore wind will give the cleanest, most powerful waves of the whole 16 days. It’s not a perfect 10 – the wind is cross-shore, not glassy – but it’s the only time the size and wind align decently. This is for intermediate surfers; the size is a bit much for beginners.

Crowds at Merewether - Ladies are sometimes an issue, but on a Friday morning with the conditions being a bit raw, it might not be too packed.

Signing off,

Rusty

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