Pines Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, check it out. The long-range charts are starting to show some pulse, but we're gonna have to earn it. First few days are a write-off for the most part—nothing but onshore slop and lumpy conditions. But keep your head up, because there's a proper window of clean waves coming mid-week, and that weekend has some solid potential before things get messy again.

First up, Pines (East Cape). Water temp is sitting around 55.4°, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year, so no wetsuit surprises there. Now, it's a fairly consistent point break, but the start of this run is grim. Monday afternoon you're looking at 5.2ft of SW swell but it's crossed-up and choppy. Not worth the paddle. Tuesday morning is a bit better, 3.9ft and clean with a cross-off breeze, but it's still small. The real story unfolds Wednesday into Thursday. Wednesday swings in a strong N wind, 25 mph, which cleans it up but makes it howling. It's small, under 3.3ft, and tough to get into. By Thursday, we get a better looking 4.3ft from the WSW with a fresh offshore, and it's clean.

The standout is Friday. Solid 5.2ft of SW groundswell, period jumping to 14-15 seconds, and it's glassy with a cross-off wind. That's proper point break territory. The energy reading is strong too, hitting (1492) on Friday afternoon. It's a longer period swell, which this point will handle perfectly—will be some proper lines wrapping in. Crowds are likely, so get there early. This is your best bet for a proper session in the first week.

Saturday morning gets bigger, 7.9ft from the SW with a 16-second period, but the wind swings onshore and it turns to mush. That's too much for most and the strong cross-shore kills it. Forget it.

Sunday afternoon looks magic. The swell drops to a very manageable 6.2ft, and we get a moderate offshore breeze, making it clean with good shape. It's an excellent session for more experienced surfers. The energy is still healthy (1642), so there's push in the waves. Monday, the 24th, keeps that quality with offshores and a 4.9ft swell, and by Monday afternoon it's dead glassy. That's a super clean, fun day.

The rest of the run drops off. Tuesday is smaller, but still clean. Wednesday gets windy and messy. Thursday the 28th brings a big 6.9ft swell but it's with a strong W wind—not great.

The last few days of August and into September are mixed. There's a pulse for the 31st with a very long period (20 seconds) but it's small and the winds are light and cross. Then we finally get back to it on the 1st of September. Tuesday the 1st looks like a gem—5.6ft of SW swell with a clean N offshore wind and strong energy (1836). That's another standout, a proper finish to the period. It's a week away, so don't book your flights yet, but it's one to keep an eye on.

So, bottom line: ride the small clean windows on the 17th and the 18th if you're keen, but the real gems are Friday the 21st, Sunday afternoon the 23rd, and that last day on the 1st of September. The rest is just waiting. Keep the faith, it's gonna turn on.

Read more