Octagon House Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve got to be straight with you – the outlook for the Octagon House region over the next 16 days is pretty grim. We’ve got a real flat spell on our hands, so don’t be expecting to paddle out for a proper session any time soon. The whole window is a write-off for decent surf, with the swell tiny, the period short and weak, and the wind mostly messing things up. It’s a long stretch of nothing.

Starting from this Sunday morning, August 9th, we’ve got a weak 2ft swell coming from the SE with a short, gutless period of just 5 seconds. The combined energy is a paltry 21, which tells you there’s barely any push. On top of that, a risk of thunderstorms and a light onshore breeze aren’t doing us any favours. The water temp is sitting at 86°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s the only notable thing here. It’s poor surf all day.

Monday the 10th through to Wednesday the 12th stays in the same rut – 2ft to 3ft of weak SE/SSE swell, periods stuck at 4-5 seconds, and energy readings struggling to break 30. The wind is cross-onshore from the S and SSE, keeping the surface messy. No quality on offer.

We see a slight bump on Thursday the 13th with the swell pushing to 3ft, but it’s still short-period and choppy. Friday the 14th sees the biggest swell of the entire outlook, hitting 4ft from the SSE with a period of 6 seconds and energy finally cracking 100. But with a moderate cross-onshore wind, it’s still considered poor conditions. This is the most “surfable” the whole stretch gets, and that’s not saying much. Saturday the 15th drops back to 3ft.

From Sunday the 16th onward, it’s a slow decline back into the doldrums. The swell drops below 3ft, the period stays short, and the energy readings fall off a cliff. By the time we hit Tuesday the 18th, we’re down to 1ft with a 9-second period – longer period but zero height. Wednesday the 19th through to Monday the 24th of August is nothing but tiny, weak swell, with most days seeing 2ft to 2ft and energy levels in the single digits or low teens. The wind does swing around to the SW and SSW at times, offering a few glassy moments on the morning of Sunday the 23rd, but with only 2ft of weak 4-second swell, there’s nothing to ride.

Honestly, there is no standout break, no best session. The whole 16-day period is a total bust for paddle surfing. If you’re desperate for time on the water, the conditions might look more interesting for a kite surfer than someone with a surfboard, but even then, it’s marginal. Keep the board in the bag and wait for the next system to roll through.

Rusty.

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