Rat Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on offer for the next couple of weeks at Rat Beach.

Honestly, it's a quiet stretch ahead. We've got a long run of small, ordinary surf, and while there are a few windows where it might be worth a paddle, nothing here is going to get the heart racing. The water is notably warm for this time of year, coming in at 73°, which is a solid 5° above average – that's very unusual.

We kick off on Saturday, the 1st of August, and into the next week, the swell is tiny – we're looking at knee-high waves around 1.0 ft to 2 ft. The wind is mostly a light cross or cross-offshore, which keeps the surface clean, but the wave energy is weak, reading just (10) on the first day. The period is short, around 6 seconds, so it’s just wind chop. The wave comment calls it "poor surf conditions" right through the first week, and the scores back that up. There's a stretch from the 1st through the 9th where it's really not worth suiting up, with nothing but tiny, weak waves.

As we move into the second week, around the 11th of August, there's a slight bump. The afternoon of Tuesday the 11th sees a jump in swell energy to (154) – moderate energy – and the swell height pushes to 2 ft. The period also stretches to 18 seconds, which is a long-period groundswell. That's promising in theory, but the downside is the wind goes cross-shore with a bit of chop, and the wave comment still says "poor surf conditions." The morning of the 14th of August has a similar feel: 2 ft swell from the SW with a 15-second period, light cross-offshore wind, and clean conditions, making it "surfable but very ordinary." It's the best of a pretty average bunch, but it's still just small.

Later on, the 15th of August morning also offers a clean window with 2 ft swell and light offshore breeze from the south, but again, it’s far from pumping. The last day, Sunday the 16th, fizzles out completely with a tiny 0.3 ft swell.

Overall, there’s no standout swell here. If you were a kite surfer, the breezy afternoons with 12 mph cross-onshore winds might look more interesting than the wave count we’ve got on offer, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a waiting game. The best bet is the morning of Friday the 14th or Saturday the 15th for a clean, knee-high wave, but don't expect anything special.

Rusty.

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