Merewether - Ladies Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s on the menu for Merewether – Ladies.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a pretty slow start. The first couple of days are just not worth paddling out for. The swell is tiny and the conditions are ordinary. Saturday the 5th has a knee-high 2ft south swell, but with a gnarly 25 km/h afternoon wind, it’s a write-off. Sunday the 6th is even smaller, so don’t bother.

We get a bit of a pulse on Monday the 7th with a 6ft south swell, but the wind is straight cross-shore and the energy is only moderate (465). It’s a marginal call, and the tide might mess with it. Tuesday the 8th is a mess – 8ft of swell but the wind is on it, making it a choppy, blown-out disaster. That’s too big for beginners anyway, and with the onshore wind, it’s just a washing machine.

Now, Wednesday morning the 9th is where things start to look up. We’ve got a clean 5ft swell from the SSE with a light cross-offshore breeze from the west. The water temp is sitting at 66°, which is pretty average for this time of year. This is your best bet for the early part of the forecast. Light winds, clean faces, and a decent little wave. It’s the standout in this first week.

Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th see the swell jump up but the wind gets messy again. We’re looking at 10ft on Thursday, but that’s heavy, cross-onshore, and choppy (combined energy of 2782). That’s expert-only territory, and even then, it’s not clean. Friday tries to tidy up with a light SW wind, but the swell is still solid at 6ft and the cross-shore wind makes it a bit of a battle.

The following weekend is more of the same – marginal surf with light winds but not much energy. It’s a bit of a waiting game.

Then we get to the real highlight. Check out Wednesday the 16th of September. The morning has an 8ft south swell with a very long period of 13 seconds, and the wind is a glassy 5 km/h from the southeast. That’s a clean, powerful groundswell (combined energy of 1962). The only catch is that the wind is onshore, but it’s so light it’s practically glass. This is a serious session for experienced surfers. The south swell direction is a little off the optimum for this spot, but it's still a long-period bomb that will wrap in nicely.

Thursday the 17th has a massive 12ft swell, but the wind is a stiff 30 km/h from the SSW, making it a lumpy, cross-shore mess. Not worth it unless you’re a masochist. Friday the 18th morning cleans up again with a 10ft swell and a cross-offshore westerly, but the wind is moderate, so it’s still a handful.

For the whole window, the best call is Wednesday morning the 16th. Clean, powerful, and long-period. It’s a rare run of quality for this spot. The water temp is still around 66°, so you’ll want a spring suit.

Rusty.

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