Rat Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – the next couple of weeks at Rat Beach are not going to have you scrambling for your board. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak surf and a lot of chop. The water is sitting at 73°F, which is about 7°F warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s very unusual, and you’ll feel it when you get in.

The first few days are a write-off. Through Wednesday the 9th and into Thursday the 10th, we’re looking at tiny waves – nothing over 2ft – with onshore and cross-shore winds messing up what little is there. The energy in the water is weak, with combined energy values mostly in the low dozens or under 100. You’d be fighting for scraps.

There’s a slight improvement on Saturday and Sunday mornings where the wind goes offshore, but the swell is still tiny, around 1ft to 2ft. It’s clean, but it’s barely surfable, and the energy is still weak. This pattern of small, clean mornings and blown-out afternoons continues through the middle of next week. The swell tries to pick up a touch with a longer period from the southwest, but it stays small and inconsistent. A few sessions on Tuesday the 15th and Wednesday the 16th mornings have that light offshore or glassy feel, but there’s just no power behind them.

Honestly, the only stretch that starts to look interesting is the final weekend – Saturday the 20th and Sunday the 21st of September. Saturday morning has that offshore wind, clean conditions, and the swell is still small at 2ft, but the energy is starting to build (276). By Sunday morning, things get a little more serious: 3ft of southwest swell with a 17-second period – proper groundswell energy (355). That’s the best the period has to offer. The direction matches the optimum for the reef, and the light cross-shore wind will keep it workable. It’s still not big, but it’s the standout of the whole fortnight.

After that, it fades again. The last week of September sees the swell drop back to 2ft, with onshore winds returning in the afternoons. The morning of Thursday the 24th has a clean feel with a light cross-offshore, but it’s still just ordinary conditions.

So, your window is the morning of Sunday the 21st. Mark it down. The rest is a waiting game. This spot is inconsistent, so you have to take the good ones when they come. Keep the faith, but maybe bring a longboard and low expectations for most of it.

Rusty

Read more