Rabbit Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Look, I won't sugar-coat it – this is a tough run for Rabbit Island. For the first ten days of the forecast, it's basically a write-off. We've got a long stretch from the 4th of September right through to the 14th with next to nothing rideable. A bit of swell tries to show on the 6th – Sunday morning seeing 4ft from the NNW with a short 6-second period, and that picks up to 5ft in the arvo with combined energy of 131 – but the conditions are still tagged as poor. The water's sitting at 54°F which is about average for this time of year. It's frustrating because you'll see some clean, glassy mornings, like Saturday the 5th with a 3 mph SSW breeze and the 6th with dead calm winds, but there's just no solid wave to work with.

Then from the 7th, we get a few small pulses. Monday the 7th morning has a bit of 4ft at 8 seconds from the north, combined energy of 139, and glassy conditions with a 3 mph south wind. The report calls it "surfable waves but very ordinary" – and that's being generous. It's really only for the keen beginner on a longboard who just wants to get wet. The whole stretch from the 8th to the 14th is mostly flat with only tiny dribbles. On the 10th we see a 0.3ft swell with a ridiculously long 23-second period from the north, but that's barely a ripple.

So, after a long wait, the standout window finally shows up on the 18th of September. That Friday morning looks like the real deal. We're looking at a solid 8ft swell from the north at a solid 10-second period, with combined energy pumping at 1039 – that's serious, powerful groundswell. The wind is light from the SSW at 3 mph and offshore, so the surface should be clean. This is proper size though – over 8ft if you push it – so this one is for the experts only. The afternoon drops a bit to 7ft with 911 energy and the wind swings cross-off, so the morning is definitely the pick. After that, the 19th offers some smaller 3ft leftovers, but that Friday morning is the one to circle. It's a long-range call, so keep an eye on it, but if it comes together, Rabbit Island will have some serious, powerful lines.

Remember, this spot is inconsistent and more exposed to a NNW swell direction, which is exactly what we're getting on the 18th. Crowds are rare here, so you should have plenty of room. For the rest of the 16 days, it's a waiting game.

Rusty.

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