Publics Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are gonna test your patience. We’ve got a long, flat, and frustrating stretch ahead before things finally wake up. Don't get too excited about the first week, it's mostly junk.

Right off the bat, this Saturday the 22nd, Publics is just messy. We’ve got a weak 2ft southwest swell pushing through, but the wind is a solid 25 mph cross-offshore. It’s clean-ish, but the energy is all over the place, and it’s just not worth paddling out for. The water is sitting at a warm 80°, which is about normal for this time of year, nothing weird there.

Honestly, we are looking at a long, dusty run of poor surf all the way through the 28th. It’s a whole heap of short-period, wind-driven slop. The swell height might show 5ft to 6ft, but it’s coming from the ENE with a period of 6-7 seconds. That ain’t real swell, that’s just chop. The energy readings are all in the moderate range (506 to 568), but it’s all that windswell. Not worth your time or the paddle out.

There is a tiny flicker of hope on the 26th and 27th, with some longer period southerly energy (16-18 seconds) pushing in, but the heights are weak, 2ft to 3ft, and it’s still just marginal. The combined energy is up a bit (788), but it’s not enough to make Publics do anything special. It’s still a frustrating wait.

The beginning of next week stays poor. The 29th and 30th are back to that short-period ENE junk, and the 31st is more of the same. The energy drops off too, down to the low 200s, which is just weak. A total wasteland.

Then things start to get interesting. On the 1st of September, the swell pulse finally shows up. We’re looking at 7ft of ENE swell, still with a shortish 8-second period, but the energy jumps up to a solid 965. It’s still not perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction. The winds are still cross-off, but lighter.

Now, here is where I get a bit more amped. The 2nd of September looks like the first real highlight of the whole period. The swell is 6ft-6ft from the ENE, with an 8-second period, and the energy is strong at 794. But the key is the wind. We finally get a true offshore wind, light at 9-12 mph. That’s the cleanest it’s been all week. This is the day to get wet. It’s still not huge, but it’ll have shape and be a whole lot of fun on a beach and reef setup like Publics.

The 3rd of September keeps the swell going, with 7ft-7ft of ENE swell and strong energy (834-902). The morning has a bit of a cross-on wind which will chop it up, but the afternoon clears out with a light cross-off breeze. That’s another window for a fun, clean session.

The 4th is still surfable, 8ft and 7ft, but the wind picks back up to 19-22 mph, which will put a bit of bump on the face. It’s still OK, but not as good as the previous days.

Then, we hit a wall. The 5th of September sees the wind cranking from the NE at 25-28 mph, and the surf gets all churned up. It’s just poor. And the 6th of September is out of the question. We are talking a near-gale to gale-force offshore wind at 34-44 mph. The swell drops off to 3ft, but that wind will make it impossible. This setup is no good for surfboards – honestly, that 44 mph wind on the 6th might be more interesting for the kite crew. It’s gonna be a mess.

So here’s the bottom line: the standout days are September 2nd and 3rd. That’s the cleanest, most powerful swell window we’re going to get in this whole stretch. It’s still a short-period swell, so it won’t have the grunt of a long-period groundswell, but with clean conditions and chest to head-high waves, it will be the best the place looks for over a week. Everything else before that is a grind. Stay patient, keep your board waxed, and be ready for that Wednesday and Thursday.

Rusty out.

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