Periscope Point Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. The big picture is a long stretch of consistent SW groundswell on the cards for Periscope Point (South Coast). For the first half of the outlook, it’s game on.

First up is Tuesday morning, August 18th. We’re looking at 4ft of SW swell with a long 16-second period, and the energy is moderate at 1844. It’s clean with a light ESE cross-off breeze, and the water’s about average for the season at 80°. Good place to start. The afternoon bumps it up to 6ft, with energy building to 2338.

Now, Wednesday and Thursday the 19th and 20th, are the ones to circle. Wednesday morning, we’ve got 8ft of SW swell with a massive 19-second period, and the energy is well into the strong range at 3604. This is a serious groundswell, and the light cross-off wind is going to have it looking perfect. The size stays up at 8ft through Wednesday afternoon and Thursday, with energy in the 4000s. That’s strong, powerful surf – definitely not one for the faint-hearted. This is expert territory only. The period is long, so there will be long, clean sets with good time between them.

From Friday the 21st through to Sunday the 24th, the size backs off a touch to 6ft to 8ft, but the energy stays solid. The mornings are the go, with light winds and clean conditions. Some of the afternoons get a bit of cross-shore wind and there’s a heads-up about tide, so pick your sessions.

The 25th and 26th see it ease more, with waves around 5ft to 6ft. The 27th drops off more, with 4ft to 4ft waves, but Thursday morning is still clean. Then we get another pulse on the 28th and 29th, with 5ft to 6ft surf and moderate energy.

There’s a bit of a lull on the 30th and 31st. Swell drops, the wind goes more southerly, and it gets a bit messy. Still surfable, but not the quality we saw earlier.

But don’t write it off. The 1st of September, Tuesday, brings a new pulse of SW groundswell. The morning has 7ft waves, building to 8ft in the afternoon, with energy back up over 3400. It’s a bit crossed up in the afternoon, but it’s sizeable. Then Wednesday, September 2nd, is a cracker. A solid 8ft of SW swell with a 16-second period and light cross-off winds from the SSE. That’s clean, powerful stuff. Again, that’s over the 8ft mark in the morning, so it’s all about the experts.

This is all happening at a reef, and with that long-period SW groundswell, it’s going to hold its shape much better than a beach break would. It is inconsistent, so be patient. The waves will be worth it. This is the window to be at Periscope Point.

Rusty.

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