Publics Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Yo, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s coming for Publics. Honestly, mate, the 16-day window is a mixed bag—there’s surf, but it’s mostly marginal, with almost no clean, fun conditions. The swell builds but the wind stays cross-off and fresh, so not much is going to be truly inviting. The best you’ll get is one afternoon that stands out, but you gotta hunt for it.

Alright, Monday morning 14 September kicks things off with a tiny 1ft swell from the SW, period a huge 23 seconds—that’s very long period groundswell. Combined energy is weak (135). The water temp anomaly isn’t given, so it’s about average for the time of year. The wind is cross-off at 25 km/h, which keeps things clean, but that swell is negligible. Not worth paddling out. The afternoon bumps to 2ft, but still poor.

Tuesday 15 September sees 2ft from SW in the morning, period 20 seconds, still very long period. Combined energy is moderate (438). Another cross-off, but marginal. The afternoon is worse—poor surf.

Wednesday 16 September has 3ft from SW in the morning, longer period 18 seconds, and energy moderate (827). Wind is fresh, but still cross-off. Same story Thursday 17—swell jumps to 7ft from ENE, but period drops to 8 seconds, short period windswell. Combined energy is moderate (950). That’s getting big—7ft is too much for beginners. Thursday afternoon hits 7ft, energy strong (1115), but the wind stays cross-off and fresh. This is maybe more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, given the strong wind and beach-and-reef setup.

Friday 18 September morning: 3ft from SSW, 17-second period, combined energy strong (1102). Clean, but marginal. The weekend is messy. Saturday 19 has 6ft from ENE, 8-second period, energy moderate (975). Sunday 20 has 8ft from E, same short period, energy strong (1000). Wind is fresh and cross-off, so it’s lumpy. Not good.

The standout? I’d point you to Thursday 17 September afternoon despite it being marginal—7ft from ENE, period 9 seconds, combined energy strong (1115). It’s the best wave energy in the whole run, but the wind is cross-off at 25 km/h, so it’s not glassy. Still, if you’re an expert, there’s push. But don’t expect perfection.

The rest of the run—Monday 21 to Monday 28 September—is consistently 5ft to 7ft from ENE or E, short period (7-9 seconds), with fresh winds. The combined energy stays moderate to strong (627–1000). It’s all marginal or poor, with no real windows. The very end, Tuesday 29 September morning, has 6ft from ENE, 8-second period, energy moderate (687), and a score that’s the best of the late run, but still marginal with cross-off winds.

In short: there’s no clean, glassy day. The biggest energy is on 17 September afternoon, but it’s compromised by wind. If you’re a beginner, stay home for most of it—over 5ft through much of the second week. The first week is too small. It’s a tough stretch.

Rusty.

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