Pea Break Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve gotta be straight with you: this outlook for Pea Break is a wild ride, but mostly a frustrating one. We’ve got a massive, long-period groundswell from the southwest that’s going to pump through the whole 16 days, but the wind almost never plays ball. The water is sitting at 68° – that’s a couple of degrees warmer than usual for this time of year, so at least you won’t be freezing your arse off in the lineup.

The first real window of opportunity? It’s not until Friday, August 21st. The whole first two weeks are a write-off for good surf. The swell is just too big and the wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, churning things up into a mess. From the 7th right through to the 20th, you’re looking at a solid block of days where conditions are either too big, too windy, or both. The swell energy is off the charts – we’re talking combined energy values of 7542 up to a massive 54938, which is very strong wave energy – but it’s all for nothing because the wind is trash.

Now, the standout. Friday, August 21st morning is the one to circle. Pea Break will see a 13ft swell from the WSW, with a period of 15 seconds, and the wind shifts to offshore from the SE at 19 mph. That’s clean, offshore conditions. The combined energy is still strong at 8598, and the waves will be proper and powerful. This is expert territory – over 8ft, so don’t even think about it if you’re not solid. The late afternoon session on the 21st is also clean with offshore winds at 16 mph, though the swell drops a touch.

Saturday, August 22nd is your other decent shout. Morning has a 13ft swell from the SW at 16 seconds, with a light cross-offshore breeze from the ENE at 16 mph. The afternoon cleans up even more with a lighter wind from the E at 12 mph and a 12ft swell. Combined energy is 9809 – still plenty of punch. Crowds are listed as “sometimes,” so you might have a few others with the same idea, but it’s worth it for the clean conditions.

The rest of the period? Forget it. Sunday the 16th afternoon has a glassy light wind, but the swell is still cross-onshore, so it’s marginal at best. The 18th and 20th have clean cross-offshore winds, but the swell is either too big or the wind is howling near gale force. It’s a tough run.

Because Pea Break is a reef break, those long-period 15-16 second swells will hold up well and offer proper shape, but the size is the big filter. If you’re an expert, wait for the 21st and 22nd. The rest of us? Probably best to stay home and sharpen your fins.

Rusty.

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