Onrus Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what we’ve got for Onrus. I’m Rusty, and I’ll break it down for you.

The window opens on Wednesday 26 August but there’s nothing doing then – strong cross-onshore wind and poor quality, so best to wait it out. There’s a few quiet days to start before we get into the cleaner stuff.

Thursday 27 August morning kicks off the good run. Onrus is a reef break, exposed to SW swell. We’re looking at 5 ft of S swell at 12 seconds, with a light cross-offshore breeze. Clean conditions, feeling good. The combined wave energy is moderate at 781, and the water temp is 59°, which is about normal for this time of year. Thursday afternoon stays clean with 5 ft SSW swell, still light wind.

Friday 28 August is a standout. Morning brings glassy conditions with light SSW air, 4 ft S swell at 11 seconds. That’s a real treat – clean, small but fun. Afternoon goes glassy too with 3 ft WSW swell at 14 seconds. The period is nice and long, meaning better shape but longer lulls. This is the best quality stuff in the near-term.

Saturday 29 August is still surfable but the wind goes cross-offshore in the morning and cross-onshore in the afternoon, so quality drops off a little. Swell holds around 4 ft to 5 ft.

Sunday 30 and Monday 31 August are mixed. Sunday has onshore wind, so not ideal. Monday morning is clean with light cross-shore wind and 6 ft SW swell, but the real highlight is Monday afternoon: glassy conditions, 5 ft SW swell, period 11 seconds – that’ll be worth a paddle.

Now, into Tuesday 1 September, we’ve got a big change. Swell jumps to 10 ft from the SW, period 14 seconds, with a strong offshore wind. The wave energy is very strong at 3495. But at this size, it’s too big for most – only for experts. The reef will be handling it but expect heavy, powerful sets. Wednesday 2 September stays big with 10 ft on Tuesday morning, dropping to 8 ft by Wednesday afternoon, but the wind shifts cross-onshore so it gets lumpy.

Thursday 3 September is a write-off – gale force onshore wind, messy.

Friday 4 September sees a new SSE swell, 13 ft with offshore wind in the morning – again, only for experts, huge energy. Saturday 5 September is the largest in the whole run: 21 ft S swell on the morning, period 13 seconds, wave energy a massive 13997. That’s serious, dangerous surf. Sunday 6 September stays big with 16 ft and 12 ft S swell, clean offshores but not for the faint-hearted.

After that, Monday 7 September finally drops back. Morning is glassy with 5 ft SSE swell at 10 seconds – clean, nice, a much-needed return to normal. Afternoon is smaller at 3 ft. From Tuesday 8 September onward, the surf fades away with small, weak swells and increasingly poor conditions. By Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 September, it’s flat and messy with onshore wind.

Overall, the best windows are Friday 28 August and Monday 31 August afternoon. They offer the cleanest, most user-friendly conditions. The big stuff from 1–6 September is for experts only. Crowds at Onrus are sometimes an issue, so on the clean days, expect company.

Rusty.

Read more