Number Threes Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s talk Number Threes. It’s been a slow start, but there’s a real payoff if you’ve got the patience.

The first proper window is Thursday afternoon, August 20th. It’s tiny, only 2ft of swell from the SSW, but with a massive 17-second period – that’s real groundswell energy. The wind is glassy, almost nothing out of the NE, so the surface will be dead flat. Water temp is about 80°, dead average for this time of year, so the wetsuit is just for show. This is a small, clean, mellow session for the advanced crew who know the reef. (combined energy: 331)

Friday the 21st hangs on with similar 2ft SSW swell, but the wind shifts. The morning is cross-shore and a bit junky, but the afternoon cleans up nicely with a light cross-offshore breeze from the east. Still small, but the 16-second period keeps it lined up. Not a standout, but a decent glass-off.

Then it gets rough. From Saturday the 22nd all the way through the end of August, it’s a mess of strong ENE winds, 22 to 28 mph, blowing clean but cross-offshore. The swell gets bigger, up to 6ft, but the period drops to a pathetic 6 or 7 seconds – all windswell, no guts. The combined energy climbs to 595 and beyond, but that’s all wind chop. This is kite-surfing weather, not paddle surfing. For a reef like Number Threes, it’s just not working.

We get a brief reprieve around Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th. The swell drops back to 2ft to 4ft, and the period climbs back to 14–18 seconds, bringing real groundswell back. The wind is still stiff from the ENE at 19 mph, but cross-offshore, keeping the face clean. It’s marginal, but better than the days before. The energy reads 590 to 906 – moderate but not punchy.

Finally, the real standout arrives on Tuesday, September 1st. The morning sees 12ft of ENE swell – that’s big, expert-only territory – with a 10-second period and a light cross breeze. But the afternoon is the one: 10ft, still ENE, but the wind drops to glassy, near calm from the east. The period is 10 seconds, and the combined energy is a massive 2212. That’s serious power, and for experienced surfers, it’s the best wave of the whole run. The morning is still a bit messy, but that afternoon session is a true standout.

Wednesday the 2nd settles back to 7ft, still clean with a gentler cross-offshore breeze and a shorter period of 8–9 seconds. It’s good, but not as good as the day before.

Beyond that, into the first week of September, the swell fades and the wind picks back up, with clean but choppy conditions and period dropping back to 7–8 seconds. Nothing worth chasing.

The best on offer is clearly Tuesday afternoon, September 1st. That’s the one to circle. The rest is either too small, too windy, or too short-period to get excited about. But if you’re an advanced surfer and can wait, that glassy 10ft ENE swell at Number Threes will be a treat.

Rusty.

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