Pambula Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Look, mate, I’m not gonna lie to you – this outlook for the next 16 days is a tough one. We’ve got a long, dry spell to start, and the only real window of opportunity is a narrow one. Let’s break it down.

Right now, and for the first week, it’s pretty much flat. From Sunday 23 August through to Monday 7 September, the swell heights are tiny, mostly hanging around 1 ft to 3 ft. That’s not even enough to get a wetsuit wet. The winds are all over the shop – onshore, cross-off, you name it – and the surf quality is consistently rated as poor. It’s a grim run.

Now, there is one flicker of life. On the morning of Monday 7 September, we see a pulse of swell jump up to 6 ft from the NE, with a period of 7 seconds. The combined wave energy is 283, so there’s some real grunt in the water. But here's the kicker: the wind is a fresh 28 mph cross-shore from the NW, making it a messy, lumpy affair. At that height, it’s getting a bit too big for beginners anyway, and with that wind, it’s going to be a battle. The Pambula Rivermouth will have waves, but it’ll be a choppy, blown-out mess. Honestly, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The stand-out, such as it is, falls on Tuesday 25 August afternoon. We get 4 ft from the NE, with a period of 7 seconds and a combined energy of 148. It’s small-to-medium size, and the wind is onshore from the N at 9 mph, so it won’t be glassy. Still, for this grim outlook, that’s about as good as it gets. The Rivermouth is exposed to swell, but the onshore wind will kill any real quality.

Everything else is a write-off. There’s a few glassy mornings with tiny 1 ft to 2 ft waves (like Sunday 30 August morning, and Monday 31 August morning), but you’d be scratching for a ride.

This is a quiet period for the area. When the swell is this inconsistent, it’s not unusual to get a blank run. The forecasts can change, so don’t lose hope completely, but for now, leave the board in the shed.

Rusty.

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