Princeton Breakwater Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s take a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it’s a tough stretch at Princeton Breakwater. We’re looking at a long, frustrating run of poor surf conditions, with only a couple of moments that might give you a little something to work with. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing wild there.

The first real chance to even think about paddling out comes on the morning of Tuesday, August 4th. You’ll see a small 4ft swell from the WNW, with a period of 9 seconds, and a light breeze from the SW keeping it clean. The combined energy is weak (249). It’s marginal, but if you’re a beginner just wanting to get wet, it might be worth a look. The wind stays light through the morning, but the swell drops off fast.

From there, it’s a real grind. The next few days are basically a write-off. Wednesday the 5th, Thursday the 6th, and Friday the 7th all show tiny, weak swell around 1ft to 2ft, with onshore or cross-onshore winds. The period jumps to 18 seconds on Friday, but with that tiny height, it’s just a waste of a long-period groundswell. The combined energy stays weak (under 300). Not worth the drive.

Saturday the 8th and Sunday the 9th don’t offer much relief either. The swell picks up a bit on Sunday, hitting 4ft in the morning, but the wind is still cross-onshore. By Sunday afternoon, the swell rises to 6ft with a combined energy of 1048 (moderate), but the wind is a gentle cross-onshore breeze, making it choppy and messy. With that size, it’s getting a bit much for beginners, and the quality just isn’t there for more experienced surfers.

The following week, from Monday the 10th through to Thursday the 14th, is a real mixed bag of onshore wind and small, weak swell. The swell holds around 5ft to 6ft, but the period is short, around 9 seconds, and the wind is never truly offshore. The combined energy stays moderate (400-600), but the conditions are just poor. It’s all a bit of a slog.

The one standout, if you can call it that, is the morning of Saturday, August 15th. We’ve got a 3ft swell from the SW with a long 16-second period, and the wind is a light cross-shore from the WNW. The combined energy is moderate (545). With that long period, the waves will have some shape and push, but at this break, the low height and the wind direction might make it a bit straight. Still, it’s the cleanest-looking window in the whole 16 days, and it’s a week and a half away, so keep an eye on it.

After that, the last few days of the run are more of the same: small, weak swell with cross-shore or cross-onshore winds. Nothing to write home about.

So, the bottom line: this is a very lean period. The only real flicker of hope is that Saturday morning, August 15th, with the long-period SW swell and light cross-shore wind. That’s your best bet, but don’t get your hopes too high. For everything else, you’re probably better off waiting for the next system to roll through.

Rusty.

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