Middleton Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for our stretch of coast, and honestly, there’s some heavy water on the way. Middleton Beach is the only game in town for this whole 16-day window, so we’re locked in here. No other breaks to jump to.

We’re kicking off on Thursday, August 20th, with a solid pulse. Groundswell from the SW at 12 ft, with a very long 16-second period – that’s deep ocean energy, folks. The combined swell energy is sitting at 5468 (moderate to strong), but listen, with that size and period, this isn’t for the faint-hearted. Over 8 ft means it’s strictly for experienced surfers. The water’s sitting at a touch warmer than normal, about 64°F, so a degree or two above average for the time of year. It’s a bit of a mixed bag for the waves, though – the morning has that moderate offshore wind from the W, making it clean, but the afternoon gets a bit messy with a cross-off wind. For a sheltered spot like this, it’s handling the size, but it’s a serious paddle.

The standout really shapes up on Friday, August 21st, morning. Clear skies, light offshore from the NW at only 6 mph, and a 10 ft SW groundswell with a 15-second period. That’s about as clean as it gets for this break, with 4543 (moderate energy) worth of punch. The waves will be lined up, but again, it’s big – expert territory. This is the pick of the first few days.

Saturday, August 22nd, the swell drops a touch to 8 ft, same long period, and the morning has a light cross-off breeze. Still very good surf, but it’s edging down. By Sunday, August 23rd, the wind swings onshore and the swell drops, so that window closes.

Now here’s the thing – from late Sunday through Monday, August 24th, conditions actually look pretty good again. Monday morning brings clean 7 ft SW swell with a light offshore wind. Not huge, but clean and workable for the more competent crew. After that, Tuesday, August 25th, has a bit of a drop to 4 ft in the morning with offshore wind, but the afternoon picks up to 8 ft with a cross-off breeze. It’s a mixed bag.

Then we hit a gnarly patch. Wednesday, August 26th, the swell jumps back up to 12 ft and then 13 ft with very long periods, but the wind is howling – 22 to 19 mph offshore, which is a fresh breeze. It’s clean, but with that much power and wind, it’s a battle and the quality scores drop off. Thursday, August 27th, is a write-off – near-gale force winds at 31 mph and 15 ft swell. That’s kite-surfing weather, not paddle surfing. That ugly wind and big swell pattern sticks around through the weekend, with a brief drop on Friday, August 28th, to 6 ft, but still buffeted.

There’s a long gap of rough, blown-out conditions from August 26th through to the end of the month. But hold on, because the real gem is sitting way out there.

Tuesday, September 1st, we get a return to form – light offshore wind, 7 ft SW swell, clean and glassy. Very good. But the one that’s got me excited – the absolute standout of the entire forecast – is Wednesday afternoon, September 2nd. The swell is pumping 18 ft from the WSW with a 15-second period. The combined energy hits 20108 (strong to very strong!). The wind is a moderate offshore from the W at 16 mph, keeping it clean. This is exceptional surf, but for experts only – that’s a beast of a day. If you’re skilled and hungry, pencil that date in. After that, the swell holds around 13 ft through to September 4th, with improving offshore winds on that Friday afternoon making it excellent for experienced surfers again.

So, to sum it up: the best pure conditions for the average good surfer are Friday morning, August 21st, and Monday morning, August 24th. But if you’re an expert and want the biggest, cleanest, most powerful swell of the period, September 2nd afternoon is your window. It’s a long-range call, so less certain, but the numbers are screaming.

Rusty out.

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