Middleton Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, lookin’ at the surf ahead for Middleton Beach. The good news is, we’ve got a long run of waves, but the first few days are a bit rough around the edges. The water’s sitting at 64°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, a nice little bonus for that first paddle out.

Alright, starting Wednesday morning the 12th of August, the swell’s a solid 15 ft from the SSW with a period of 15 seconds. That’s a big, long-period groundswell. The energy is absolutely pumping at 8432, so there’s heaps of power. But, the wind is a cross-off from the WSW at 12 mph, and the report flags it as marginal surf with tricky tides. That 15 ft is also going to be well over the 8 ft mark, making it an expert-only affair. The swell direction (SSW) isn’t ideal for a break that loves SSE wind, so expect a bit of messiness. Not the place for a beginner on Wednesday morning or afternoon.

Thursday morning the 13th of August is where it starts to turn on. Still a big 13 ft SSW swell, but the period stretches out to 16 seconds. The wind switches to a light offshore from the WNW at 6 mph, which will clean things up beautifully. The combined energy is a massive 9486, and the report calls for excellent conditions for experienced surfers. That 13 ft is still big and raw, so only for the crew who know what they’re doing. Thursday afternoon the period hits 17 seconds, but the wind turns cross-shore, so it loses a little magic.

Friday morning the 14th of August sees the swell dropping to 12 ft, still a good size, with a light cross-shore wind from the NE. The energy is still strong at 5587, but the conditions are only marginal. The standout window for Middleton Beach is going to be Thursday morning. The combination of a very long-period groundswell, clean offshore wind, and that huge energy makes it the best on offer early on. Just remember it’s an expert’s wave at that size.

The rest of the first week and into the second is a mixed bag of dropping swells and varying winds. Saturday the 15th has 8 ft swell with a fresh NNW cross-off, then Sunday the 16th has 8 ft with a strong N wind. Nothing terrible, but nothing special either.

The real highlight, and the one to get excited about, is Thursday morning the 20th of August. We get another 13 ft swell from the SW, this time with a gentle offshore from the WNW at 9 mph. The energy is back up to 6293, and the report calls it excellent for experienced surfers again. That’s a solid, clean groundswell window for the more advanced crew. Friday the 21st of August afternoon is also a nice little sleeper, with 7 ft of SSW swell and glassy winds from the NE. Perfect for a cleaner, more relaxed session if the big stuff is too much.

After that, the surf stays in the 7 ft to 10 ft range through the end of the month, but the wind starts getting messy. The 22nd and 23rd of August look poor with onshore winds and rain. The 24th of August has some cleaner moments with a 7 ft and 7 ft swell from the SSW, but the real trouble hits the 25th and 26th. On the 25th we’ve got a 16 ft to 20 ft SW swell, with a combined energy of 14458—that’s a massive, hostile amount of power. The wind is a fresh cross-shore at 19-22 mph, and the forecast says poor conditions. For a beach setup like Middleton, this kind of heavy wind and huge swell is going to be a messy, dangerous mess. It would be far more interesting for the kite surfers than anyone with a paddle.

So to wrap it up: if you’re an experienced surfer, Thursday the 13th morning and Thursday the 20th morning are your standouts. Clean offshore winds, big long-period groundswell, and heaps of energy. For the rest of us, Friday the 21st afternoon with glassy conditions on 7 ft waves is the best bet for a fun, manageable session.

Rusty.

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