Putsborough Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at the charts for the next couple of weeks. Honestly, it’s a tough stretch for us here at Putsborough. The water is sitting at 67°, which is a solid 5° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s a real anomaly, feels like a bathtub compared to the norm.

The first week is pretty flat. From Monday, the 24th of August, right through to the end of that week, we’re looking at tiny dribble. Swell heights barely tickling 1 ft, and the energy is weak – mostly under 100 (29) on the scale. The wind is mostly cross-off or cross, but it’s a fresh breeze a lot of the time, so the water is clean but there’s just no push. It’s a real gap of about four days where there’s nothing worth getting wet for.

Friday the 28th of August sees a little lift, with the swell hitting 3 ft from the WSW and a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy gets up to 103, so we’re finally in the moderate range. The wind is a gentle cross-shore, so it’s borderline, but it’s still not what I’d call a session. Saturday the 29th shows a similar story with 4 ft swell, but the wind swings to a cross-off with a gentle breeze, so it’s clean. Still, the period is short at 7 seconds, and the energy is only 104.

Sunday the 30th of August afternoon has a risk of thunderstorms and a big jump in wind to 22 mph from the SSW. The swell hits 4 ft from the WSW, but the period drops to 6 seconds, and the energy is 148 – still moderate, but it’s going to be chopped up.

Then we get to the big stuff. Monday the 31st of August morning, the swell jumps to 10 ft from the west with a 10-second period. That’s a serious amount of water, with a combined energy of 1784 – that’s strong to very strong. But the wind is a fresh cross-onshore, so it’s going to be lumpy and messy. That’s expert-only territory, and with the onshore breeze, it’s not going to be pretty. The same goes for the afternoon with 7 ft and 930 energy.

The first week of September is a write-off. The wind is consistently onshore or cross-onshore, mostly from the west, and the swell is a mix of short-period junk. There’s a moment on Thursday the 3rd of September morning where the wind goes cross-off from the SSW, swell is 5 ft from the west, and the energy is 270 – but it’s only given a marginal rating, so the tide or conditions are likely off.

The real standout, if you can call it that, is Sunday the 7th of September. The swell is 10 ft from the west, but the period is a massive 16 seconds – that’s very long period groundswell. The combined energy is off the charts at 5532. That’s a huge amount of power. However, the wind is a fresh cross-onshore, and the wave comment is “poor surf conditions.” For a beach break like Putsborough, a long-period west swell with onshore wind is going to be a washing machine. It’s big, it’s powerful, but it’s going to be a mess. This is a kite surfer’s setup, not a paddle surfer’s. The period is so long, the sets will be few and far between, but when they come, they’ll be straight and closing out.

To be honest, there’s no real standout session in this whole 16-day window. The wind is almost always a problem, and when the swell does show up, it’s either too small or blown out. If you’re desperate and you’ve got a big board, the morning of Saturday the 29th of August might give you a few clean, tiny waves. Otherwise, I’d be saving the energy for a better forecast.

Rusty.

Read more