Ram5 Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let's have a proper chat about what's coming up at Ram5.

We’ve got a long outlook here, stretching all the way from the end of August and through the first half of September. The short story is that Ram5 isn't about to fire in any epic way for a while, but there's a pulse of fun, clean swell at the very end of the run that’s worth keeping an eye on.

First things first, the water is beautifully warm. At 65° with a big positive anomaly of 5°, that is much warmer than usual for this time of year, so you can leave the thick rubber at home.

Kicking off on Thursday the 27th of August, we start small. The swell is only 2 ft from the southwest, but here’s the thing: that period is a massive 17 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy pushing in, even if it’s not tall. At a point break like this, those long lines will wrap in nicely, but the energy reading is just 518, so it's moderate, not cooking. The wind is a gentle cross-shore, so it’ll be a bit textured, not glassy. The forecasters are calling it marginal, and I’d agree – it’s a small, long-period cleanup wave for the patient crew.

Friday the 28th sees the swell jump up. We’re looking at 7 ft in the morning, dropping to 7 ft in the arvo, both from the southwest with a solid 15-14 second period. That’s a fair bit of power – the combined energy reading hits 2061 on Friday morning, which is strong. But don’t get too excited; the morning is cross-onshore and choppy. Friday afternoon cleans up to a cross-shore, but it’s still on the big side for a paddle. At over 6 ft, this is mainly one for the experienced crew on bigger boards.

Saturday the 29th drops a notch to 6 ft, still from the southwest, with 13-second period. A cleaner cross-shore wind keeps it rideable. The energy is down to 1110, still moderate. It’s okay, but nothing you’d rearrange your weekend for.

From Sunday the 30th right through the first week of September, it gets a bit sad. Swell drops below 5 ft, the period shortens, and the winds become a mixed bag of cross and cross-onshore. There's an 8-day stretch here from Sunday the 30th through to Sunday the 6th of September where the surf is consistently poor to marginal. It’s just not worth getting wet unless you're desperate. The energy values drop right down, bottoming out around 321 on Tuesday the 1st. That’s weak.

Now, hold on, because things start looking up around Monday the 7th of September. That morning, we get a 4 ft swell from the southwest, but the period jumps back to a glorious 18 seconds. The combined energy spikes to 1188. The wind is a light cross-shore, so conditions should be clean. This is a groundswell of real quality, even if the height isn't huge. Tuesday the 8th builds a little more to 5 ft in the morning with 15-second period, and only a light cross-onshore breeze. Energy is 1039. These two days are the pick of the first week of September.

But the real standout? That’s Friday the 11th of September. We end the outlook on a near-perfect note. The swell is a modest 3 ft from the southwest with a 13-second period, but look at the afternoon forecast: glassy. That’s right, glassy conditions, with a westerly wind of just 3 mph. That is as clean as it gets. For a point break, that is dreamy. It won’t be big, but the waves will be smooth, lined up, and all yours. The forecasters even called it "good surf conditions," the only time in the whole run. That’s the session to circle on the calendar.

Rusty

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