Middleton Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's heading our way for the next couple of weeks.

We’re looking at a pretty wild run at Middleton Beach. The first couple of days have some serious size, but you’ve got to pick your window carefully. The setup is very sheltered and this is a spot for beginners, so when the swell gets up, it’s going to be a handful.

Thursday, September 3rd kicks off with a big 13 ft swell from the SSW, but that’s a long-period groundswell at 15 seconds. It’s going to be powerful with energy reading high, and the water is 64°, a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. The morning is clean with a cross-off wind. By the afternoon, the wind goes offshore and the swell drops a touch to 12 ft, and conditions are described as excellent for experienced surfers. This is not beginner territory at this size, but for someone who knows what they’re doing, Thursday afternoon looks like a standout for this break.

Friday, September 4th is a write-off. We’ve got a 13 ft swell in the morning and 10 ft in the afternoon, but the wind is howling from the WSW at 25 mph, turning to a strong cross-off. It’s messy and the energy is high, but the conditions are just blown out.

Saturday, September 5th sees the swell dropping to 7 ft in the morning and 7 ft in the afternoon. Winds are lighter, but it’s cross-off and the period drops to 11-14 seconds. The scores are low across the board due to marginal conditions and rain showers.

From Sunday, September 6th through to Thursday, September 10th, it’s a grim stretch. The winds clock around to the SE, ESE, and ENE, either onshore or cross-onshore. The swell stays big for a sheltered spot (12 ft to 13 ft), and combined wave energy is very high. The period is also long (16-19 seconds), which for a beach setup like this will likely make the waves fat and dumpy. All days in this period are flagged as poor surf conditions. Honestly, this stretch looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer given the cross-onshore winds and significant swell.

Friday, September 11th and Saturday, September 12th have cleaner conditions with cross-off winds, but the swell is still on the bigger side (5 ft to 10 ft) and the scores remain marginal. The energy is still moderate to strong.

Sunday, September 13th is where the light appears. We get light cross-off winds (6 mph) from the WSW with a solid 8 ft SW swell (14 sec period). Conditions are described as “expect very good surf conditions”. This is a real chance for some clean, powerful waves that will be well-shaped.

Monday, September 14th morning is the standout of the entire forecast. We have a 10 ft SSW groundswell with a 16-second period, light winds, and the comment is “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers”. The energy is punching through. That’s a big, clean, powerful day. Monday afternoon loses the clean wind and gets a cross-shore chop, so lock in the morning session.

Tuesday, September 15th and Wednesday, September 16th are on the decline. Swell backs off to 7-8 ft, and while Wednesday afternoon has an offshore wind, the size is small and the period short. There’s a small window on Wednesday afternoon (Sept 16th) with a clean 5 ft SW swell (13 sec) and offshore wind that might give a fun, small wave for a beginner.

Thursday, September 17th looks blown out again with strong WSW winds.

Friday, September 18th closes out the forecast on a high note. Morning has a clean offshore wind, a 6 ft SW swell (14 sec), and it’s flagged as “very good surf conditions”. The afternoon turns even better with light winds, a 7 ft SW groundswell (17 seconds). That’s a long-period groundswell with ideal light winds for Middleton. This will be a clean, high-quality day.

So to sum it up, if you’re an experienced surfer, the absolute best windows are Thursday afternoon, September 3rd, and Monday morning, September 14th. For a more manageable size and still good quality, Friday morning, September 18th is your call. The rest of the run is either too big, blown out, or messy.

Rusty.

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