Right and Left Side Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here, and I'm gonna level with you – this 16-day stretch for Right and Left Side is a tough one. It's a reef break that's exposed to the swell, but it's also inconsistent, which means it doesn't fire often. And for the first week, it's just not happening. The wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, and the conditions are lumpy, choppy, or just plain messy. There's a run of poor surf from the start, through Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, with the swell jumping up but the wind staying funky.

The water temperature here is sitting at 86°, which is about normal for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

The first real chance to get wet comes on Saturday, August 08, in the morning. We've got a 10ft swell from the west, with a period of 11 seconds, and the wind is a moderate cross-shore. The combined swell energy is strong at 3180, but the forecast is only marginal – it's a big, powerful wave that's only for experts. That afternoon, though, the wind swings cross-onshore and it's back to poor conditions.

Then Sunday, August 09, morning has a 6ft swell from the northwest with a 15-second period – that's a proper long-period groundswell. The wind is cross-shore, and the combined energy is moderate at 1632, but again, it's only marginal. The long period means it'll be powerful and a bit fat on a beach break, but at a reef, it could be okay if you can handle the messy cross-chop.

From Monday, August 10, right through to the end of the run on Monday, August 17, the swell gets huge – 10ft to 13ft from the west, with periods from 9 to 16 seconds. The combined energy is strong to very strong, hitting 7827 on Monday afternoon. But the wind is cross-shore or cross-onshore, fresh to near gale, and the conditions are described as poor or marginal at best. For a reef break, that much swell with cross-shore winds is a washing machine. It's big, messy, and only for the most experienced, if anyone. Honestly, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on those big days.

So, the standout? If I have to pick one, it's the Saturday, August 08 morning session. It's the first time the conditions are even close to surfable, and the 10ft west swell has some size. But it's not clean, and it's only for experts. The Sunday, August 09 morning is a close second, with that 6ft northwest swell and a long 15-second period, but it's still lumpy.

The rest of the window is a write-off for quality surf. The breaks are inconsistent, the wind is always a problem, and the swell is either too big or too messy. Keep an eye on the forecasts, because it might change, but right now, it's a tough slog.

Rusty.

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