Rest Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Rest Bay over the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, the next week and a half is a tough stretch. We’re looking at a real flat spell from the 18th of August all the way through to the morning of the 29th of August. That’s over ten days of essentially nothing worth paddling out for. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, whipping it up, and the swell heights are tiny, from just 0.3ft to 4ft, with weak energy readings (mostly well under 200). The wave comment across this whole period screams "poor surf conditions" or "very ordinary." It’s a real bummer.

The first glimmer of hope comes on the morning of August 29th. We’ve got a 4ft swell from the WSW, with a 7 second period, and the wind is coming out of the southeast, giving us a clean cross-off breeze. The combined energy bounces up to 138 (moderate). It’s nothing massive, but it’s clean. The afternoon of the 29th sees a bit more size, 5ft from the same direction, and the wind stays clean from the SSE. The energy bumps up to 199 (moderate). Still, the wave comment is "poor surf conditions," so temper expectations.

The 30th of August is where we start to see something interesting. Sunday morning brings a 4ft WSW swell, clean cross-off again, and the comment shifts to "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions." The energy is 140 (moderate). Then Sunday afternoon, the wind goes glassy – a light southerly at 3 mph – and the swell drops to 3ft. The wave comment says "very ordinary," but the glassy conditions mean it will be clean. That’s a rare window of peace.

The real standout, though, is the 31st of August. Monday morning shows a 5ft WSW swell with a 7 second period, clean cross-off wind, and the combined energy jumps to 277 (moderate-strong). The wave comment calls it "marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions," but the energy is there. The afternoon of the 31st pushes it over the edge. We’re looking at 6ft from the WSW, still clean cross-off, and the energy skyrockets to 560 (strong). That’s the best energy of the entire 16-day run. For a beach and point setup like Rest Bay, 6ft with a 7 second period will be a bit lumpy, but clean wind makes it the pick of the month. It’s still a week away, so keep an eye on it.

After that, September 1st brings onshore winds and a 6ft WSW swell, but the wave comment is back to "poor surf conditions." The energy is massive (1014 in the morning), but it’s a messy, onshore mess. That’s more of a kitesurfing day than a paddle day. September 2nd is similar with a 5ft swell and cross-on wind.

So, if you’re holding out, the 31st of August afternoon is the best on offer. The 30th afternoon with glassy conditions is a close second for a clean, smaller session. The water temperature anomaly is average for this time of year, so nothing to worry about there.

Rusty.

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