Onrus Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty, and I've been staring at the charts for your local stretch. We've got a solid window of surf coming up, but you've got to pick your moments. The standout sessions are spread across the first week, with a couple of absolute gems if you're game.

Let's start with this Saturday morning, the 15th of August. Onrus is the only break on the cards, and it's looking beautiful. We've got a 5ft swell rolling in from the WSW with a 14-second period, which is a nice, long groundswell. The energy is moderate, sitting at 781, and with the wind glassy from the ENE at just 3 mph, it's going to be clean as a whistle. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no dramas there. This is a solid, fun-sized wave for a weekend session.

Saturday afternoon holds up too, with the swell bumping up to 5ft and the energy climbing to 920. Still glassy, with the wind dropping to nothing. You'd be mad not to get wet.

Sunday the 16th sees the swell push to 6ft, but the wind swings around to a cross-off from the WNW at 12-16 mph. It's clean, but not the silky smooth of Saturday. The energy is ramping up well over 1000, but the conditions are just a bit more marginal.

Now, Monday the 17th of August is a big one. The swell hits 8ft from the WSW, with a 13-second period. The energy is strong, at 2149. The morning has a light offshore from the NW at 6 mph, making for clean, powerful waves. This is for experienced surfers only—it's a solid, heavy reef break. The afternoon is a bit more cross-off, but still clean. If you've got the skills, this is the call.

Tuesday the 18th goes a bit pear-shaped. The swell is still big, over 8ft, but the wind is onshore and choppy. The energy is huge, over 2300, but the quality is poor. The same goes for Wednesday and Thursday—the swell drops a bit, but the cross-onshore wind keeps things messy. It's a wait-and-see period.

Then, Friday the 21st of August. The morning is glassy again, with a 6ft swell from the SW. The energy is moderate at 1077. But the afternoon is the real standout. The swell jumps to 8ft, still from the SW, but the period lengthens to 15 seconds—that's a very long groundswell. The energy is massive, at 3194. The wind is a light cross-off from the west at 6 mph, keeping it clean. This is a big, powerful, well-shaped wave. There might be longer waits between sets, but the paddle out will be easier, and the reefs will handle it beautifully. This is the best session of the entire forecast.

After that, it gets wild. Saturday the 22nd has an 12ft swell, but the wind is a near-gale at 37 mph. That's a hard pass for surfing, maybe more of a kitesurfing day. The swell stays huge through Sunday the 23rd, but the wind is terrible.

The second week is a mixed bag. Monday the 24th is small and choppy. Tuesday the 25th has an 8ft swell with a 17-second period—very long period—but it's marginal. The afternoon of Tuesday the 25th is glassy with a 8ft swell from the SW, which is a solid, clean option for experienced surfers. Wednesday the 26th morning is glassy again with a 7ft swell. After that, it's a mix of cross-off and cross-onshore winds until the end of the month, with a few decent swells but often messy conditions.

So, to wrap it up: the pick of the entire forecast is Friday afternoon, the 21st of August, at Onrus. The combination of a 8ft, 15-second groundswell and light cross-off wind is as good as it gets. The Monday morning, the 17th of August, is also a top call for the crew who can handle the size. Everything else is a case of checking the wind and picking your window.

Rusty.

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