Putsborough Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this forecast for Putsborough over the next 16 days is a tough one to swallow. We’re looking at a long, dry spell with hardly any surf worth paddling out for. The real problem is the swell: it’s mostly weak, short-period windswell from the west-southwest, which just doesn’t have the grunt for this stretch of coast. The combined wave energy throughout the period is very low to moderate at best, rarely breaking into triple digits, and when it does, the wind or the tiny size ruins it.

We kick off on Saturday morning, August 1st, with a tiny 2ft swell from the west, but it’s a weak 5-second period and the energy is a pathetic 38. The wind is light from the NNW, but the conditions are described as poor. Honestly, forget it. The whole first week is a bust. Sunday the 2nd through Saturday the 8th offers nothing but waist-high or smaller dribble, with periods under 8 seconds and combined energy mostly below 100. The winds are a mixed bag of onshore and cross-shore, and the reports call it “poor surf conditions” every single day. There’s a fleeting moment on Monday morning, August 3rd, when the wind goes glassy (ESE 5 km/h) and the swell bumps up to 2ft from the WSW with a 9-second period, and the energy hits 79. The report says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” That’s the best of the first week, and it’s still a 1 out of 10. Not worth the drive.

The gap of no-good surf runs right through until the second week. The first real glimmer of hope doesn’t appear until Tuesday, August 11th. The morning is glassy, with a tiny 1ft, 10-second period swell from the west, but the energy is still only 48 – it’s almost flat. The standout moment arrives that same Tuesday afternoon. A pulse of 5ft swell from the west-southwest with a 10-second period hits, and the wave energy jumps to a solid 370 (moderate energy). This is the biggest swell of the whole 16 days. The problem is the wind: it’s a gentle 15 km/h from the west, which is a cross-onshore, making it a bit choppy. The report still labels it “poor surf conditions,” but this is the only window where the size is there. For a beginner, 5ft is getting a bit much, but for an intermediate, it’s worth a look if you can handle some bump.

Wednesday, August 12th, keeps the swell going with 4ft from the WSW in the morning, 9-second period, and 265 combined energy, but the wind is cross-shore from the SW. It’s rideable but not clean. After that, the swell fades again. The 13th and 14th are blown out by strong winds (30-45 km/h) and the swell drops back to under 3ft. The last few days, the 15th and 16th, see a little bump back to 4ft, but the wind is howling from the southwest at 40 km/h, making it a messy, lumpy cross-shore. That’s kite-surfing conditions, not paddle surfing.

So, the honest truth? There’s no standout, no day you’d circle on the calendar. The best on offer is that Tuesday afternoon, August 11th, with the 5ft swell, but the wind is not ideal. The rest is a washout. It’s a long blank run, and for Putsborough, that’s just how it goes sometimes. The water temp is about average for this time of year, no real anomaly to speak of.

Stay patient, keep an eye on the charts, and maybe pick up a new hobby for a couple of weeks.

Rusty

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