Millers Landing Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here.

Look, I’m going to be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty bloody ordinary for a proper surf. The ocean’s going to be flat, weak, and messy for the majority of the outlook. We’ve got a long stretch of small, short-period swell and cross-onshore breezes that are going to chop it all up. It’s going to be a frustrating time if you’re chasing anything decent.

We’re starting off at Millers Landing this Saturday morning (August 8th). The swell is tiny, only 1ft from the southwest, with a long 16-second period, but the energy is weak at 86. The water is a notably warm 74°, which is 5° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s pretty significant, a real sign of the times. Conditions are poor, so don’t even bother getting the board wet yet.

That pattern sticks around for the next week or so. Through the 9th to the 15th, we’re looking at knee-high dribble, with heights mostly under 2ft. The winds are mostly light to gentle, but they’re coming from the west or west-northwest, which is cross-onshore, leaving the surface fairly choppy and bumpy. The energy is weak to moderate, sitting between 56 and 169 – there’s just no push there. It’s a write-off.

There’s a small nudge of energy starting from the 16th of August, with a bit more size on the 17th and 18th. On Monday the 17th, the swell bumps up to 4ft in the morning, and 5ft in the afternoon from the WNW. The energy jumps up to 214 and then 374, which is moderate. But here’s the catch: the period drops right off to 7-8 seconds. That’s short-period windswell, junk. It’s got a bit of push, but it’s going to be lumpy, disorganized, and walled-up. It’s cross-onshore and choppy, so it’s not going to be any kind of classic. By the 19th, it’s back down and tapering off again.

There’s another small pulse around the 20th to the 23rd, but it’s still nothing to write home about. Heights hover around 2ft to 3ft, still from the WNW with short to moderate periods. The energy is in the moderate range, 156 to 182, but the wind stays cross-onshore, keeping it bumpy. It’s not a surfing swell, it’s a chop factory. All through this period, the surf quality is consistently rated as poor.

Honestly, there is nothing in this entire 16-day window that qualifies as a standout. There is no clean, well-shaped wave on offer. The only slight interest is that pulse on the 17th and 18th, but that short period and onshore wind just kills it. If you’re a beginner, the small stuff under 5ft over the first week is manageable size-wise, but the onshore chop makes it unpleasant. From the 17th on, it’s over 5ft, so it starts to get a bit more challenging for the less experienced.

Given the persistent chop and windswell coming in from the west-northwest, if you’re dead set on getting out there, this setup honestly looks more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer. The consistency of the bump and the moderate wind will give them something to work with.

Keep the faith, but maybe go for a skate or a surf check up the coast. The ocean will come back around, it always does. This is a blank stretch that’s more normal for the area when the trade winds are this persistent.

Later, Rusty.

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