Rat Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the outlook for Rat Beach. I gotta be straight with you – this forecast is a tough one. We’re looking at a 16-day window, and there’s a big, long gap at the start with nothing worth paddling out for. The first real whisper of anything surfable doesn’t appear until the 2nd of August, and even then, it’s pretty ordinary.

The water at Rat Beach is running about 72°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – a proper anomaly of 4° warmer. That’s very unusual, so you won’t need a thick wetsuit, that’s for sure.

From the 22nd of July right through to the morning of the 2nd of August, it’s a total write-off. The swell is tiny, the wind is mostly cross or onshore, and the wave energy is weak (values between 5 and 88). There’s nothing to get excited about. The only slight glimmer is a few mornings with offshore winds, like Friday the 24th and Sunday the 26th, but the swell is so small (2ft - 2ft) and short period (6-7 seconds) that it’s barely a ripple.

The first sign of life comes on the morning of Sunday, the 2nd of August. We get a clean, light offshore breeze with a small 3ft west swell. The combined energy is still low (81), and the period is short (6 seconds), so it’s surfable but very ordinary. The morning of Monday, the 3rd of August is a similar story – a bit more energy (111) on a 3ft west swell, but again, nothing special. The best chance for a wave might be Tuesday morning, the 4th of August, with glassy conditions, a 2ft west swell, and a bit more energy (78). Still, for a reef break like Rat Beach, you’re hoping for more.

The standout? If I had to pick one, it’s the morning of Wednesday, the 5th of August. We’ve got a light offshore wind, a 2ft swell from the southwest, but here’s the interesting part – the period jumps to 14 seconds, and the energy is moderate at 124. That’s a proper groundswell pulse. For a reef, that long period (over 11 seconds) means better shaped waves and more push, even if the height is small. It’s clean as a whistle, but it’s also inconsistent. Crowds are sometimes a problem here, so if you’re out there on that Wednesday, you might have it to yourself for a bit, then a few others.

Overall, it’s a bleak run. Don’t get your hopes up for the first week and a half. The second week has a few windows, but it’s a struggle. Forecasts can change, so keep an eye on it, but for now, I’d be doing something else.

Rusty.

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