Panoramas Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's break down the surf for the next couple of weeks. It's a long stretch, and we're in for a quiet spell, so don't rush to wax up just yet. The first few days are pretty much a write-off, with small, weak waves and winds that are mostly onshore or cross-shore.

The first real chance to get a paddle in is on Monday morning, August 17th, at Panoramas. The swell is a tiny 0.6m out of the NW, with a period of 8 seconds, and the combined energy is a weak 59. The water is sitting at 22°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. The wind is glassy from the WSW at 5 km/h, which is a big plus. It’s going to be clean, but you’ll be scratching for a ride. The break is a beach and reef setup, consistent, and fairly exposed to that NW swell. You might have some company, as crowds are sometimes an issue. For a Monday morning, it's a gentle start, but nothing to get excited about.

The rest of the week is a blur of tiny, weak surf. Tuesday morning the 18th of August is glassy with a 0.5m NW swell, but the energy is only 37. Wednesday and Thursday are flat and forgettable. Friday the 21st of August morning is glassy again with a 0.6m NW swell, but the period drops to 6 seconds, making it weak. The afternoon sees the wind pick up to 30 km/h from the NNW, and the swell jumps to 1.6m with a period of 7 seconds, but it’s a cross-shore mess with a combined energy of 211. That’s best left for the kite surfers.

Saturday the 22nd of August has a bit more size, with 1.4m NW swell in the afternoon, period at 7 seconds, and energy climbing to 217. But again, the wind is cross-on from the WNW, so it’s going to be bumpy. The same story repeats on Sunday morning the 23rd of August with a glassy 0.6m, but it’s still just small.

The only real standout in this whole 16-day window is Wednesday, the 26th of August. The morning is glassy with a 0.9m NW swell, period of 8 seconds, and energy of 84. It’s surfable but nothing special. The afternoon, however, is where it’s at. The swell holds at 1.2m from the NW, the period is 8 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 282. The wind is a light cross-shore from the NW at 10 km/h, which will keep the surface clean. The water temperature is still a touch warmer than average. For a beach and reef break, that’s the best we’ve got. It’s not a big swell, but it’s the best combination of size, direction, and light wind. Keep an eye on it, but don’t expect a classic.

The second week, from the 27th of August onward, is a real letdown. After that Wednesday afternoon, it all fades back into a monotonous pattern of small, weak, onshore slop. The swell remains from the NW, but the wind is consistently cross-on or cross-shore, and the energy fluctuates between 65 and 314 on the bigger days, but the conditions are never clean. The morning of the 30th of August has a 1.2m NW swell with a period of 10 seconds and energy of 266, but it’s cross-on. The afternoon of the 30th has 1.3m NW swell, period 9 seconds, and energy of 337, but again, the wind is light cross-on. It’s not going to be a clean wave.

To be honest, there’s not a single day in this whole 16-day outlook that screams “go.” The only real glimmer of hope is that Wednesday afternoon, the 26th of August, at Panoramas. For a consistent spot, the lack of quality is a bit of a bummer, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. If you’re desperate, you can find a 0.6m glassy wave on the Monday morning, but don’t expect much.

Rusty out.

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