Rat Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, checking in with the outlook for the next couple of weeks. It’s gonna be a bit of a mixed bag, so let’s get straight into it.

Right off the bat, things are pretty small and weak-looking. We’ve got a bit of swell on the way, but you’ll have to be patient. The first real chance of something decent is Thursday the 10th of September at Rat Beach. It’s an inconsistent reef setup, so don't expect a ton of waves, but the late morning sees a clean, cross-off breeze with a small 2ft swell from the west. The water is running at 72°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year. The combined energy is pretty low (21), so it's more about the clean conditions than any power.

The afternoon of that same Thursday is where things get a little more interesting. Swell picks up to 3ft from the southwest, and get this: the period jumps to 16 seconds – that’s a solid groundswell. The wind goes cross-off and nearly glassy, with combined energy jumping up to 314 (moderate). This is the standout of the first week. It’s still small, but those long-period lines will have some push and shape, especially on a reef setup like this. Just keep in mind, it’s inconsistent, so you might wait a while for the good ones.

The rest of that first week and into the second is a grind. Friday the 11th, Saturday the 12th, Sunday the 13th… all small (1ft to 3ft) and mostly ruined by onshore or cross-shore winds. The swell directions keep swinging, but the quality just isn't there.

Monday the 14th of September morning brings another clean offshore window with a 3ft west swell, but the period is short (7 seconds) and the energy is only moderate (127). Surfable, but ordinary.

After that, we hit a real down period. From around the 16th through the 19th, it’s all tiny, choppy, or just flat. A few glassy mornings pop up on the 17th, but the swell is a pathetic 1ft with almost no energy (98). You’d be better off doing anything else.

Now, hold onto your leash for the second week. The real highlight of the whole outlook, and I mean the only true standout, shows up on Sunday the 20th of September morning. We’ve got a 2ft southwest groundswell with an 18-second period, nearly glassy conditions with a slight cross-off breeze, and a combined energy of 312 (moderate). This is the best of the lot. It’s clean, it’s got that long-period push, and the reef will line it up nicely. It’s still not big, but for quality in a dry spell, this is it.

Monday the 22nd of September morning also looks promising. Another 3ft southwest groundswell (16 seconds) with light cross-off winds and 307 (moderate) energy. Clean surf.

Friday the 25th of September morning, the energy jumps up big time to 405 (strong), but it’s a cross-shore wind and only 2ft from the southwest (21 second period). That’s just a weird mix – all that deep-water energy showing as a tiny wave with a long period, coming in with side wind. Marginal at best.

Overall, don’t expect much. The first week has one decent afternoon on the 10th, and the second week has a couple of clean, long-period mornings on the 20th and 22nd. If you’re surfing Rat Beach, bring a log and a whole lot of patience. For a reef that doesn’t fire often, this is about as good as the forecast gets for now.

Rusty.

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