Publics Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at the Publics stretch for the next couple of weeks. Let's be straight with ya – this isn't setting the world on fire, but there are a few windows where it'll be worth paddling out.

The overall pattern shows a bit of a pulse early on, then a long, frustrating lull of tiny, weak swell, before the energy starts to build again in the second week. The water temp here is sitting right at 27° which is bang on average for this time of year, so no need for a steamer.

The standout session is undeniably Wednesday September 9th. Morning is the pick with a clean 3 ft swell rolling in from the SSW. The real kicker here is that combined energy reading is a solid 631 (moderate), and the wind is a light 3 mph from the east, creating cross-off conditions. That means clean, peeling peaks. The 14-second period gives it some proper groundswell punch, and for a beach and reef set-up, that's going to hold up nicely. The afternoon holds up too, with similar size and a 13-second period, energy still at 543. The crowds here are listed as "always," so expect a crew, but for these conditions, it's worth jostling for a few.

Thursday the 10th is a bit of a letdown. Swell jumps to 5 ft in the morning, but the period plummets to just 7 seconds – that's weak, windswell junk. The wind cranks up to 12 mph from the ENE, so it's going to be bumpy and messy. Not your day.

From Friday the 11th right through to Tuesday the 15th, we hit a rough patch. The swell drops right off, mostly under 2 ft, with combined energy figures dropping from 572 down to a measly 121 by Sunday. The period is all over the shop, but the wave comment basically tells you it's marginal to poor. That's a solid four-day dry spell where your best bet is to leave the board in the car.

Things start looking a little better on Tuesday September 15th. The morning bumps up to 2 ft from the SW with a proper 20-second period. Energy is back to 412 (moderate). The standout here is the afternoon though – a 3 mph offshore wind from the north. Glassy, clean lines on that long-period groundswell. This kind of long-period swell (20 seconds) will be grooming up nicely at the reef sections, giving you long, walling rides. It's a promising afternoon.

Wednesday the 16th is a solid backup with 3 ft of SW swell and 18-second period. Morning winds are light from the east, so it'll be clean. The energy is 481 – good moderate energy.

Now, for the second week, it gets a bit rougher with the trade winds. Thursday the 17th through to Thursday the 24th sees the wind howling from the ENE at 18 to 22 mph most days. Swell stays small, mostly around 2 ft to 4 ft. The energy values peak on Thursday afternoon (17th) at 1089 (strong!) and again Friday morning (18th) at 1038, but that's all that chunky, short-period windswell getting stacked up. With 22 mph cross-off winds, that setup looks more like a kitesurfing zone than a clean paddle session. There are a few 5 ft days on the 19th and 20th, but with that wind and short period (8 seconds), it's just a blown-out mess.

Honestly, the pick of the entire outlook is locking in that Wednesday morning session on the 9th. The Tuesday the 15th afternoon is your second-best look, but you're gambling on a long-range forecast holding up.

Stay frothy, and don't get too frustrated by that flat spell in between.

Rusty.

Read more