Panoramas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Looking at the next couple of weeks, it's a pretty frustrating stretch for us at Panoramas. We've got a consistent run of north-west swell on the way, but the wind is gonna make a mess of it most days. There are a few fleeting windows of calm, but you'll have to work for 'em.

Alright, let's start with the bad news. From Saturday the 29th of August right through to the 11th of September, it's mostly poor. The swell's there—mostly around 3 ft to 5 ft from the NW, with periods between 8 and 10 seconds—but the wind is almost always cross-onshore or just plain messy. The combined energy sits around 244 (moderate) on the Saturday afternoon, but the "clear" sky is a lie with that 9 mph west cross-onshore making it choppy. Sunday the 30th is light cross-onshore in the morning, but still not clean. We get a few mornings—Thursday the 3rd, Friday the 4th, Saturday the 5th, Sunday the 6th, Monday the 7th, and Tuesday the 8th—where the wind goes glassy, dropping to 0 mph or 3 mph from the south or south-west. On those glassy mornings, we've got tiny surfable waves, about 2 ft to 3 ft, but it's very ordinary. Thursday the 3rd morning has 3 ft NW swell at 8 seconds, glassy, and the energy is weak (98). It's surfable, but nothing to get stoked about.

Now, the one standout that’s worth circling on your calendar is Saturday the 12th of September. Early morning, we’ve got clear skies, glassy conditions with the wind at 3 mph from the WSW. The swell is a clean 4 ft from the NW with a period of 11 seconds, which is decent groundswell. The combined energy jumps up to 305 (moderate to strong), and for a moment, everything lines up. The water is around 70°, which is pretty much average for the time of year, so no surprises there. This is honestly the best chance in the whole 16-day run. Get out there early; the afternoon turns cross-onshore again and it’s gone.

Sunday the 13th of September has some bigger energy—443 from a west swell at a very long 16-second period—but the wind is light cross-onshore in the morning and the forecast is only marginal. That long period groundswell can be tricky at a beach and reef setup like Panoramas, tends to close out on the beach. Still, if you’re a local who knows the banks, it might be worth a look, but I’d put my money on that Saturday morning.

To be honest, for a spot that's fairly consistent, this run of poor conditions is a bummer. The swell is there, but the wind gods aren't playing ball. Keep an eye on those glassy mornings, even if it's small. Sometimes a 3 ft wave with no wind is better than a 5 ft mess.

Rusty.

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