Rest Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a cuppa, let’s have a look at Rest Bay. This is a tricky one, mate. We’ve got a 16-day window stretched out ahead of us, but the honest truth is that for the first week and a half, it’s going to be a write-off. Honestly, for a long stretch from Monday the 24th of August right through to Thursday the 28th, the swell is tiny – we're talking knee-to-ankle high, and the energy is just pathetic, mostly hanging around the single digits (17 or lower). The wind is doing it no favours either, mostly cross-off or cross, but with no size to work with, it’s just flat and frustrating. You'd be better off doing anything else.

We do start to see a pulse of energy building towards the end of the first week, particularly around Friday the 28th. The morning brings a small 1.0 ft cross-on swell, and by the afternoon, the swell bumps up to 1 ft, but that comes with a full-on onshore howler (16 mph) and a short, choppy period of 6 seconds. The whole setup looks pretty average for paddling, honestly, and with that wind and a beach setup, this is looking more like a kite-surfing session than a paddle-surfing one.

The period from Saturday the 29th through to the 5th of September is a real mixed bag. We get some bursts of energy – on Monday the 31st of August, we see 2 ft from the west with a combined energy of 342, but it’s smothered by strong onshore winds (22 mph), making it lumpy and unrideable for a proper wave. There’s a noticeable spike on Wednesday the 2nd of September, with 2 ft of swell coming onshore, and the following days hold similar size, but the wind is always there to spoil the party. This whole block is just messy.

Now, let’s talk about a true standout, but you’ll have to be patient. The real magic shows up on Monday the 7th of September. The morning starts quiet, with a small 0.7 ft swell, but then the afternoon just fires up. We get a solid 2 ft of swell from the WSW, and the combined energy hits a massive 899, which is seriously powerful. This is a long-period groundswell too, with a period of 14 seconds, meaning it’ll have some serious shape and push, and is best suited for the point or reef sections of Rest Bay. Crucially, the morning of that day also has near-glassy conditions (slight air, 3 mph), which could clean things up nicely. This is the pick of the entire outlook for sure.

For beginners, anything above 2 ft is getting spicy, and that 2 ft with that power is for confident intermediates and above. The crowd situation at Rest Bay is often busy, so expect company on that best day.

The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual to report.

So, to sum it up: a long, flat, windy gap for the first week. Thursday the 3rd of September has some solid 2 ft swell, but it’s not clean. Your true best day is Monday afternoon the 7th of September with that big, clean, long-period groundswell. It’s a promise, but it’s a good one.

Rusty.

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