New Brighton Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on offer for New Brighton Beach over the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, this is a pretty bleak outlook. The first surfable waves don’t show up until Wednesday the 5th, and even then, it’s nothing to get excited about. We’re looking at a long stretch of very ordinary conditions, with the first real glimmer of hope not arriving until much later.

For the first few days, it’s a struggle. Tuesday the 4th is a write-off with onshore wind and a tiny 0.3 ft swell. Wednesday morning, the 5th, finally shows something rideable, with a 3 ft swell from the southeast and a clean offshore wind from the WSW. Combined wave energy is a modest 225, so it’s weak, but it’s the best we’ve seen. The swell period is 11 seconds, giving it a bit of shape. The water is sitting at 49°, which is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

Thursday the 6th picks up a bit with a 2 ft swell in the morning that should be clean with a light offshore, but the period jumps to 15 seconds – a long-period groundswell. That’s good for points and reefs, but at a beach break like New Brighton, it might break too straight and be a bit tricky to find a proper peak. The afternoon gets messy as the wind swings onshore. Crowds are listed as "sometimes," so you might have company on the small, clean morning sets.

Friday the 7th through to Tuesday the 11th is a dead zone. Tiny surf, poor conditions, and onshore winds. The wind picks up on the 11th, turning the small 3 ft swell into a messy, choppy mess. The swell period drops to a short 6 seconds, which is just windslop. At this stage, with the poor quality and strong wind, it’s more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

We get a bit of a bump on Wednesday the 12th, but it’s still small and onshore. The pattern of poor surf continues right through until Sunday the 16th.

Then, finally, on Monday the 17th, we see a flicker of hope. The morning brings a 2 ft swell from the ESE with a very nice 12-second period, and the wind is glassy. Combined wave energy is 143 – moderate energy, and the glassy conditions are a major positive. This is the stand-out window. It’s not big, but it could be clean and fun for a beginner. The water temperature is still around average.

Tuesday the 18th morning also looks clean and glassy with a 2 ft swell, but the energy is lower. After that, it’s back to small and onshore for the rest of the forecast.

So, the best bet in this whole 16-day window is the morning of Monday the 17th of August. It’s the only time the stars align for a clean, glassy session on a small but long-period swell. It’s a long way out, so don’t book the time off yet, but keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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