Right and Left Side Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the next couple weeks. The only spot on the radar is Right and Left Side, a reef break that’s exposed to the north swell. Straight up, it’s been given a rating that tells me it’s not an easy wave—this is advanced territory, and on top of that, it’s inconsistent. It rarely turns on, so when it does, you gotta be ready.

The water temp is sittin’ at 85° with a tiny anomaly of 0.2°, so it’s bang on average for this time of year. Nothin’ weird there.

We kick off on Thursday the 6th of August, with a morning session lookin’ grim. There’s a risk of thunderstorms, a cross-on wind from the west at 12 mph, and a lumpy 5 ft swell from the NNW with a period of 12 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at 1052, but the wind’s just makin’ a mess of it. The afternoon is no better—same story, just a bit more wind. This is not a day to paddle out.

Friday the 7th gets a bit of a bump. Swell pushes up to 7 ft from the west, period dropping to 9 seconds, which is short and choppy. Wind is a fresh cross-shore at 19 mph, and the energy jumps to 1318. It’s still marginal though—lumpy cross-chop means it’s not gonna be pretty. Definitely not a standout.

Saturday the 8th sees a similar theme. Swell edges up to 8 ft from the west, period 10 seconds, energy 1385. Still cross-shore winds and a cross-chop. The afternoon has some clouds but the wind stays the same. It’s just not clean.

Sunday the 9th is the first real size event. Morning swell hits 8 ft from the west with an 11-second period, energy 1745. This is gettin’ into the zone where it’s more for the experienced crew. But the wind is a fresh cross-shore at 19 mph, and the comment says it’s marginal. The afternoon turns into a cross-on wind, and it’s poor. So even with size, it’s not a day to get excited about.

Now, Monday the 10th. The morning drops off to 5 ft but with a very long period of 15 seconds from the NW, energy 804. That’s a groundswell, but it’s weak and the wind is a fresh cross-shore. The afternoon though—10 ft from the west, 12-second period, and a massive 2666 energy. That’s a lot of power. But the wind is still cross-shore, and it’s lumpy. It’s a maybe, but not a yes.

Tuesday the 11th is the biggest day of the run. Morning swell is 12 ft, afternoon hits 13 ft from the west, both with 12-second periods. Energy is through the roof—2945 then 4356. That’s strong to very strong. But the wind is a fresh cross-shore at 22 mph, and the conditions are described as poor. For a reef break, this size with cross-shore wind is gonna be a washing machine. Only for the absolute experts, and even then, it’s risky.

The rest of the week into the second week is a similar story. Swell stays big—often 10 ft to 13 ft—but the wind is relentless. Fresh to strong cross-shore breezes, sometimes near gale force. The wave energy is high, but the quality is poor. Right and Left Side is exposed, and with this wind direction, it’s just never lining up. There’s a brief drop on the 12th morning to 2 ft, but again, it’s poor.

The best of the whole lot, if I had to pick one, would be Sunday the 9th morning. The 8 ft west swell with an 11-second period has the most potential, and the energy is solid. But even then, the wind is a cross-shore, so it’s gonna be lumpy. It’s the only period that even gets close to a “maybe” for a surfer who knows what they’re doing. Everything else is just big, windy, and messy.

Honestly, this is a tough run. The swell is there, but the wind is completely against us. For a spot like this, with that much size and cross-shore wind, it’s more interesting for kite surfers than paddle surfers. Keep an eye on the forecasts, but for now, I’d give it a miss.

Rusty.

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