Milook Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

To be straight up with you, we’re looking at a pretty ordinary run for a while. The water’s sitting at 66°, which feels much warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only highlight for the opening stretch. There’s a gap of no real surf on offer right up until Wednesday morning the 12th of August. The early energy is flat-out weak – combined swell energy of just 20 – with a tiny 1ft swell from the west at 8 seconds. It’s clean enough with a light cross-off breeze, but that’s not enough to bother paddling out.

Wednesday morning on the 12th is the first real option. Milook will have a small 2ft west swell, but the period is a short 10 seconds and the combined energy is still only 96. What makes it worth a mention is the clean, offshore east wind at 6 mph. That light offshore breeze will make it glassy and lined up for the intermediates who don’t mind a bit of work for their waves. The reef setup loves a west swell, which is bang on the optimum. Just be aware, it can get inconsistent here, and crowds are often a factor once the word gets out.

Thursday the 13th sees the energy pick up to 224, with a 3ft west swell and an 11-second period – that longer gap between sets will help paddle out. But the wind swings to a cross-onshore northwesterly at 9 mph in the morning and straight onshore in the arvo, so it’ll be bumpy and choppy. The quality’s not going to be kind.

By Saturday the 15th, we get a gusty 19 mph north wind making a mess of a 4ft north swell with a painfully short 5-second period. It’s not for surfing – that setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The whole second week stays pretty grim. The swell energy trickles along between 25 and 145, but every session is marked by poor conditions. There’s no stand-out hidden gem in there. Even when the swell bumps up on Monday the 24th to a 6ft west swell with a combined energy of 362, the wind is a fresh 19 mph cross-shore, creating lumpy, ugly chop. That’s expert-only territory if it’s rideable at all.

The final flash comes on Wednesday the 26th of August afternoon, when a 7ft west swell rolls in with a combined energy of 527. That’s a powerful pulse, but it’s straight onshore at 9 mph with a short 8-second period. It’ll be a messy, windy wall for experts only, and they’ll have to deal with rain showers on top of it. The forecast calls it marginal for a reason.

So, the pick of this whole outlook is Wednesday morning the 12th of August. It’s not pumping, it’s small, but that clean offshore wind on a west swell at Milook will give you a few tidy, peelable ones on the reef if you’ve got patience. Every other day is either too windy, too onshore, or too junky to bother wetsuiting up for.

- Rusty

Read more