Middles/Generals Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, it’s your old mate Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this 16-day window for Middles/Generals is a tough one. The water’s sitting at a warm 81°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a thick suit. But the waves? Yeah, we’ve got a pretty grim run ahead.

The pattern is pretty clear: persistent, strong cross-shore ENE winds are going to be our main problem, churning up the ocean and making conditions messy. It’s a frustrating start. The first ten days, from Monday the 31st of August right through to the 9th of September, are just a write-off for clean surf. The swell energy is moderate to begin with, but the wind is a constant enemy, leaving the ocean lumpy and cross-chop. Even when the swell energy ramps up to strong levels – like on the 4th of September – the wind is howling at 28 mph, ruining any chance of a decent wave. You’re looking at 7 ft to 10 ft of wind-affected chop, and that’s just not fun for anyone.

Things get a little interesting around the 5th and 6th of September. The swell period jumps to 13-14 seconds, which is a proper groundswell, and the energy is huge. But that ENE wind keeps blowing cross-shore, so the surface is still lumpy. The waves are too big for a beginner, and with that strong, inconsistent energy, it’s a tough paddle. It’s possible a more experienced surfer could find a diamond in the rough, but it’s a gamble.

The 7th of September brings a small shift. The wind goes cross-off from the north, and the swell is a bit cleaner. At 7 ft, it’s still a solid size, but the conditions are the best they’ve been all week. It’s marginal, but it’s the only window that even looks like it could be surfable.

After that, the whole thing falls apart. From the 8th of September onwards, the swell drops off and the wind shifts around, but the quality never recovers. We get a tiny bit of long-period swell around the 13th of September, but at 2 ft, it’s not enough to do anything with, especially with a 15-second period that will just make the sets too far apart.

Honestly, there’s no standout day here. The 7th of September (Monday afternoon) is the closest thing to a recommendation, but even that is a "marginal" call. With the wind starting to clean up, it’s worth a look if you’re desperate, but keep the expectations low.

For the rest of it, with that much wind and messy swell, this setup honestly looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer. Hang in there, crew. The forecasts can change, but it’s going to be a blank run for a while.

Rusty.

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