Rat Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, lookin’ at the next couple of weeks for Rat Beach. It’s a tricky stretch, this one. The forecast is pretty ordinary overall, with only a few moments where you might actually want to paddle out. The first recommendation doesn’t even kick in until Thursday the 6th of August, and even then, it’s nothing to write home about. There’s a long gap of almost no surfable waves from the 8th of August right through to the 10th of August, with swell dropping to almost nothing.

Alright, let’s get into it. Thursday the 6th of August morning is the best bet on offer, but it’s still a marginal call. The water is much warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 72°F, which is a solid 7°F above average. That’s a weird one. You’ll find a tiny 1ft SW swell with a clean 13-second period, and the wind is light and cross-off from the SSW at 6 mph. The combined energy is weak at 66, so it’s not gonna have any punch. It’s a beginner-friendly reef break that’s inconsistent, so you’ll have to be patient. Still, the conditions are clean, and for a beginner, that’s the only window that’s worth a look. The swell direction is from the SW, which is not the NW optimum this spot really wants, so it’s a bit of a compromise.

Friday the 7th of August morning is a similar story with the same 1ft SW swell, but the wind is just cross-shore, not really helping. The afternoon turns into a cross-on mess. From Saturday the 8th into the start of the week, the swell drops to 1.0ft or less, and the period tanks to 4 or 5 seconds—just wind chop. Forget it.

There’s a slight uptick on Tuesday the 11th of August. The morning shows a 1.0ft SW swell with a long 18-second period, but the energy is still weak at 85. The wind is light cross-off, so it’s clean, but the swell is so small it’s barely breaking. By Tuesday afternoon, the swell bumps up to 2ft with the same long period, and the energy climbs to a moderate 154. That’s the best energy you’ll see in the whole forecast. The wind is still cross-off at 9 mph, so it’s clean. But again, that long period for a beach/reef setup can make it fickle, bending around the reef. Wednesday the 12th of August morning is similar with 2ft SW swell and 170 energy, clean and light, but it’s still just a knee-high wave, if that.

After that, it’s back to the same old story. The swell stays tiny, the wind is mostly cross or cross-on, and the quality drops right off. There’s a moment on Monday the 17th of August morning with a 2ft W swell and offshore wind from the SE at 6 mph, but the period is a short 5 seconds, so it’s gonna be lumpy and weak. The energy is laughable at 24. Not worth getting wet for.

Honestly, mate, if you’re a beginner looking for a Foamie session, Thursday the 6th of August morning is the best of a bad bunch. The water is weirdly warm, the waves are tiny, and it’s inconsistent. For everyone else, this is a frustrating run. The spot rarely breaks well, and this forecast doesn’t change that. But it tends not to stay this poor for long, so keep an eye on the charts.

Rusty.

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