Putsborough Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Yo, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this 16-day window for Putsborough is a proper struggle. There’s surf on offer, but the conditions are so poor that it’s hard to get excited. The water temp is sitting at 66°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t be freezing your arse off waiting for a wave that’s barely worth the paddle.

The first few days are a write-off. From Friday 14 August through to Monday 17 August, we’re looking at weak, short-period swell – mostly 1 ft to 3 ft, with periods of 5 to 9 seconds and combined energy that’s barely hitting 100 (103 at best on Friday morning). The wind is cross-on or onshore, choppy as hell, and the wave comment is “poor surf conditions” across the board. There’s a glassy moment on Sunday morning 16 August – 1 ft, glassy, period 7 seconds – but with such tiny swell, it’s not really surfable. Just a pretty morning.

Tuesday 18 August sees a bit of bump: 4 ft to 4 ft, period 7 seconds, combined energy hitting 149 and 130. But it’s still cross-on, choppy, and the wave comment stays poor. Not worth the drive. Wednesday 19 August pushes up to 5 ft, period 6 seconds, energy 210 – but it’s onshore wind, 19 mph, and the wave state is “unknown” but likely messy. The swell is too short-period and the wind is ruining it.

The best chance – and I’m scraping the barrel here – is Thursday 27 August. Morning session: 3 ft from WSW, period 8 seconds, combined energy 85, with gentle offshore wind (SSE 9 mph) and clean conditions. The wave comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” – but for this stretch, that’s a win. It’s a beginner-friendly wave, so if you’re learning and want a clean, tiny wave, this is your moment. Afternoon on the same day hits 4 ft, but the wind goes cross-off, so still clean-ish.

Then Friday 28 August gets weird. The swell jumps to 15 ft with a 12-second period, and combined energy is 5277 to 6000 – that’s huge. But the wind is howling 34 mph, and the wave comment says “wind and tide favorable, but the swell is predicted to be too big for this break.” This is strictly for experts only, and even then, the wind is near-gale, so it’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session. The rest of the 29th is still 12 ft, but onshore winds trash it.

Bottom line: Thursday 27 August morning is the only real standout – it’s clean, small, and beginner-friendly, but don’t expect much. The rest of the period is either too small and messy, or too big and blown out. There’s a gap of several days with no real recommendations from the start until the 27th. Keep an eye on forecasts, but for now, I’d say give Putsborough a miss.

Rusty.

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