Palm Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's on the table for Palm Beach over the next couple of weeks. It's a bit of a mixed bag, with some real challenges ahead.

First up, water temp is sitting at a comfortable 64°F, which is about what you'd expect for this time of year – nothing unusual there.

The outlook starts on Monday 14th September with some leftovers from the south, but it's a bit of a write-off. We're looking at a 2ft S swell, but it's coming from the wrong angle with a 12 mph cross-on wind. Conditions are just poor. Honestly, don't bother this afternoon.

Things perk up a touch on Tuesday 15th. The morning offers a small 2ft swell from the NE with light cross-offshore winds and clean conditions. The period is short at 7 seconds, so it's not going to be world-class, but it's a chance to get wet on a clean surface. The afternoon goes downhill with a cross-on wind again.

Here's where it gets interesting. Wednesday 16th September morning is a stand-out, but with a major caveat. We have a solid 10ft groundswell from the south, with a 10-second period and a huge energy reading. The winds are cross-off and clean. This is proper, powerful swell. The problem is, it's simply too big for Palm Beach. This is strictly for experts only, and even then, you'll need to be on your game. The afternoon gets even bigger at 12ft with strong cross-shore wind – messy and dangerous. The same goes for Thursday 17th morning with another 10ft S swell. These big, clean swells are impressive to look at, but not for paddling out here.

Friday 18th September morning is the only other real highlight. After that big mid-week pulse, the swell drops to a nice, clean 5ft from the SSE. The wind is glassy. This is your window – a perfect, clean, beginner-friendly size with zero wind. It’ll be a beautiful morning. The afternoon goes straight back to poor conditions.

After that, the forecast goes quiet. From Saturday 19th through to the end of the month, we're looking at small, weak, and chopped-out conditions. The swell drops below 3ft for days, with a mix of onshore winds and poor surf quality. There are a few moments of clean conditions, like Sunday 20th morning and Monday 28th morning, but the swell is tiny (2ft and 4ft respectively). There's just no power behind it.

Looking way out to Monday 28th September, there's a hint of a 4ft E swell with clean, cross-off winds – a glimmer of hope, but it's still a week and a half away, so treat that as a promise, not a guarantee.

To sum it up: the best surf is the glassy, 5ft SSE swell on Friday 18th morning – that’s the one to circle. The big mid-week stuff on the 16th and 17th is for expert eyes only and too treacherous for most. Everything else is pretty flat or messy. For the kite surfers out there, the big, windy days on the 16th and 17th with that cross-shore wind will look far more interesting than it is for us with our paddles.

Stay safe and pick your windows.

Rusty.

Read more