Rat Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a good look at what’s coming up for Rat Beach. It’s a reef setup, fairly exposed to the swell, and it likes that NW direction best, but we’re getting most of our energy from the SW, so we’re already fighting a bit of a mismatch.

Right off the bat, there’s a quiet period. Through Sunday the 9th and Monday the 10th, it’s just tiny and messy. Tuesday through to the following Monday, the 16th, it’s a similar story—small, poor surf with onshore winds chopping everything up. Honestly, that stretch feels like a write-off for anything worth paddling out for.

Things start to show a tiny bit of life on Thursday morning, the 13th, with a small 0.5 ft swell from the SW (16 seconds), combined energy of 126 (moderate). That’s a long period groundswell pushing some shape, and the wind is light cross-off from the SW, so there’s a chance for a clean but tiny wave. It’s for the absolute beginner crew, not for anyone with expectations.

We finally get a bit of juice around Sunday the 16th afternoon when the combined energy jumps to 412 (strong) with a 3 ft swell from the SW (14 seconds). Problem is, the wind is a stiff 25 mph cross-on from the W. It’s going to be lumpy and choppy—more of a wind battle than a surf session. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, to be honest.

The one standout worth keeping an eye on is Friday morning, the 21st of August. Glassy conditions with a glassy wind from the SW, and a small 1.0 ft swell coming from the SW with a very long period of 18 seconds. Combined energy is only 90 (weak), but with the southwest wind going totally glass, it could be clean, weirdly fun little waves on the reef. Perfect for a foiler or a log if you’ve got patience.

Later in the window, we see a push on the 22nd with a 1.0 ft swell but a period of 21 seconds—that’s *very* long, a proper groundswell. Combined energy is 119 (moderate) on the morning and 108 (moderate) in the afternoon, but the wind is cross-shore and then cross-on, so it’s not going to be the cleanest. That long period is going to have the sets coming in slow and lining up straight, which at a beach or sandy setup can be tricky, but on a reef like Rat Beach, it could offer some groomed lines if you’re in the right spot. Still, that’s almost two weeks out, so treat it as promising but less certain.

Bottom line: This 16-day window is pretty flat and wind-affected. The best bet for a clean surf is Friday morning, 21st August with glassy conditions, but keep your expectations in check for size. There’s nothing for anyone beyond a beginner until the very tail end, and even then, it’s iffy. It tends not to stay poor for long around here—forecasts can change.

Stay patient,
Rusty.

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