Number Fours Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a yarn about Number Fours over the next couple of weeks.

The next few days are a bit of a write-off for decent waves. We get a pulse of swell, but the wind is just too strong out of the east-northeast, making a mess of things. It’s not until the very back end of the second week that things start to look interesting.

The standout window is around Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd of August. We've got a long period groundswell pushing in from the southwest with periods around 15-16 seconds, which is proper energy for this reef setup. The combined swell energy sits around 466-476 on the Saturday (moderate) and drops a little by Sunday. Swell heights are tiny though, only 2ft to 2ft from the SSW-SW. But the wind turns it on. Saturday afternoon has a light breeze and Sunday morning goes glassy with 3 mph winds from the southeast. That’s about as clean as it gets. For a break like Number Fours, this is a proper specialty session for the longboard or a fish; small, but with that long period from the southwest, it’ll peel nicely down the reef. The water temperature is sitting around 81°F, which is normal for the time of year, so no surprises there.

Before that, it’s a grind. From the 13th right through to the 21st, the conditions are mostly blown out. There’s a massive spike in energy on the 15th with a 13ft short-period swell from the ENE and a combined energy of 2575 (strong to very strong), but it’s accompanied by a near gale. That’s more of a kite-surfing situation than anything else, too messy for a good paddle.

After the good weekend, the winds pick back up from the 24th, and while there’s some size around in the final few days of August—like a 5ft east swell on the 28th with a period of 16 seconds and combined energy climbing to 1815 (strong)—the cross-off winds are still a factor. That Friday the 28th is shaping up as a decent session for a bigger board; the wind is down to a moderate breeze and that long period from the east will wrap in nicely to Number Fours. It’s a solid option for the end of the run but not as clean as that magically glassy Sunday.

If you’re keen on a session, pencil in the 22nd and 23rd for the most chance of a silky, uncrowded wave. After that, the last couple of days of August look promising but are still a way off, so keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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