Panoramas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I won’t sugarcoat it – the next two weeks at Panoramas are a real mixed bag, and for the most part, you’ll be scratching for a decent wave. The pattern is pretty flat and weak, with most of the energy coming in small and pretty ordinary. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing wild going on there.

The forecast kicks off on Monday 14 September with a tiny pulse. In the morning, we’re looking at a 1ft swell out of the NW, with a period of 13 seconds – that’s a long-period groundswell for the size, so it’ll have some push but won’t wrap in with much power. The combined energy is a low 63. The good news? The wind is glassy, coming in from the WSW at 3 mph. A glassy morning is a major positive for a beach and reef set-up like Panoramas, so while the waves are small, they’ll be clean. By the afternoon, the breeze picks up hard from the NNW at 19 mph, turning it cross and messy – forget it.

Tuesday 15 September morning is similar – glassy again with 2ft from the NW, 11-second period (moderate groundswell), combined energy at 60. Clean but tiny. The afternoon gets a light cross-on that puts small ripples on it.

Wednesday 16 September morning is glassy again, but the swell has dropped to just 1ft and the period’s only 10 seconds – combined energy is down to 30. That’s barely surfable. The afternoon gets a big spike in wind from the NNW at 25 mph, producing a messy 6ft cross-swell with a short 6-second period and combined energy hitting 209, but it’s just a lumpy, cross-shore mess for paddle surfing – looks more interesting for kite surfing than a proper surf.

Thursday 17 September morning sees a bit more life: 3ft out of the NW, 8-second period (short period wind swell), combined energy at 131. Glassy again, so it’ll be clean but the short period means not much shape. The afternoon gets a cross-on with 5ft and 9-second period, energy spiking to 403, but the wind ruins it.

Friday 18 and Saturday 19 mornings both offer glassy conditions with 3ft NW swells and periods around 10-11 seconds – combined energy around 136-162. Clean but small. The afternoons are a write-off with cross-on winds.

Sunday 20 September morning is interesting – a cross-off wind from the SE at 9 mph, so the surface will be clean, but the swell is only 2ft from the NW with a 13-second period (decent groundswell) and combined energy at 129. It’s small and inconsistent, but if you’re a longboarder, the morning might be worth a look. Afternoon is back to poor.

Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 September mornings are both glassy with 2ft NW swells, periods around 12-14 seconds, combined energy between 98 and 175. The longer period on Tuesday (14 seconds) suggests better shaped waves but very small.

The rest of the week into the end of September is more of the same: small, glassy mornings with swells from 1ft to 4ft, mostly NW or WNW. The standout dawn is Tuesday 29 September morning – check this out: 4ft from the NW, 10-second period, combined energy at 451 (moderate energy), and the wind is glassy from the SSW at 3 mph. This is a solid little pulse for the region – not big, but at Panoramas that’s enough to get some fun ones, and with clean glass, it’s your best bet in the whole 16-day window. The rest of the time, you’re mostly looking at waist-high slop with afternoon chop.

Crowds at Panoramas can pop up when conditions are good, and that Tuesday morning could see a few extra heads, but it’s not inevitable.

Rusty.

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