Port Kembla Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down the next couple of weeks.

We’re starting off slow. The first real chance to get wet is Thursday, the 6th of August. Wednesday the 5th is a total loss. Thursday morning we’ve got a small 0.8m south swell at Port Kembla Beach. The period is 8 seconds, so it’s weak, and the combined energy is only 93. The water is 18°, about normal for this time of year. The big plus is the wind – it’s glassy, dead calm. That’s a major positive. The waves are surfable but very ordinary. It’s a clean, glassy morning, good for a longboard, but you’ll be scratching. The swell direction is south, and the optimum is SE, so not a perfect match. Expect a few people out, as the crowds can be around sometimes.

Friday the 7th is similar. A 0.7m SSE swell, 9 seconds, with a light WSW cross-off. Energy is 94. It’s clean, but still ordinary. The afternoon turns onshore, so the morning is your chance.

Saturday the 8th is another glassy morning, but the swell drops to a tiny 0.4m. Energy is 80. It’s a struggle.

Sunday the 9th picks up a bit. A 0.9m ENE swell, 8 seconds, with a light NNW cross-off. Energy is 112, moderate. It’s clean, but the direction is off, so the shape won’t be great.

Now, the second week is where it gets interesting. Monday the 10th sees a big jump in energy to 672 with a 2.0m ENE swell, but the wind is a strong 40 km/h cross-off from the west. The surf quality is poor. For a beach break, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. It’s big and messy.

Tuesday the 11th is cleaner. The morning brings a 0.7m SSE swell with a very long period of 13 seconds. That’s a groundswell, and the energy is still strong at 346. The wind is a clean cross-off from the west, 20 km/h. The long period will make it fat and straight at a beach break, but it’s clean.

The standout window for experienced surfers is the 17th through the 19th of August. The swell is too big for this break. On Monday the 17th, we’re looking at 2.3m, and it gets bigger. Tuesday the 18th has 3.0m swells from the SSE, period 11 seconds, and the combined energy is a massive 4274. The wind is offshore and light, so it’s clean, but at 3.0m+, this is expert-only. Same for Wednesday the 19th with 2.5m swells.

The one day that lines up for everyone is Thursday the 20th of August. The swell drops to a manageable 1.8m from the SE, period 11 seconds. Energy is still a strong 964. The wind is a clean, moderate offshore from the NW at 20 km/h. The direction matches the SE optimum, and the forecast says to expect very good surf conditions. This is the best on offer, hands down. It’s going to be a solid, clean, powerful day at Port Kembla Beach. The crowds are likely to be there, but for good reason.

The pick of the litter is Thursday the 20th of August. The rest is either small and ordinary, or big and clean but dangerous.

Rusty.

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