Rimmers Road Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up. We’ve got a long window ahead, but honestly, it’s a rough one for the paddle crew. The whole 16-day stretch is dominated by Rimmers Road, and it’s a real tale of two extremes: either there’s nothing doing, or the ocean is just too angry.

Right out of the gate, we’re looking at Thursday the 3rd of September. The swell is already pumping in at 7 ft from the WSW, with a very long period of 15 seconds. That’s a lot of energy – 2571 (moderate) – and the water temp is sitting at 58°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there. The problem? The wind is blowing straight onshore at 15 km/h, and the call is that it’s marginal at best. By the afternoon, it's a cross-on mess at 20 km/h and the surf is tagged as poor. No good.

Friday the 4th doesn’t get any better. We’ve got a fresh breeze hitting 30 km/h in the morning, cross-on, with a 10 ft swell. The energy is jumping to 3393, but the conditions are lumpy and poor. The afternoon is even worse with 35 km/h winds and an 12 ft swell. This is just a washing machine.

Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th are frustrating. The wind actually lays down a bit – we’re seeing gentle breezes and even some light cross-shore conditions on Sunday afternoon with the wind at just 10 km/h. The swell is still huge, though, hanging around 10 ft to 12 ft and the energy is in the thousands (4096 to 5953). The commentary says the wind and tide are favorable, but the swell is simply too big for this break. For a beginner spot, that’s a hard pass. It’s too much water moving for anyone but the most experienced, and even then, it’s not going to be clean.

The pattern continues through the start of the next week. The swell refuses to drop below 8 ft, and we’re constantly dealing with onshore or cross-onshore winds. The energy readings stay in the four-digit range, meaning moderate to strong. There’s a brief moment on Wednesday the 9th where the swell drops to 5 ft, but the wind is still a messy cross-on at 20 km/h, so it’s chopped up and not worth a paddle.

Then we hit the real monster. Around Friday the 11th of September, the ocean decides to go absolutely nuts. The swell height jumps to a massive 23 ft, with a period of 20 seconds – that’s groundswell of the highest order. The combined energy reading is a staggering 39014, which is very strong. The wind is howling at 30 to 40 km/h. This is not surf; this is a survival situation. It stays huge and angry right through the weekend and into the next week. Swells of 18 ft, 13 ft, and 12 ft keep rolling through, all with strong winds. For a beach break exposed to the full force of the ocean, this setup looks far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The final days of the run, around the 15th to the 18th, are still messy. We get some smaller waves around 5 ft to 6 ft, but the wind is always there, usually strong and onshore. The energy is still decent (1441 to 3538), but the quality is just not there.

So, the honest truth? There are no standouts here. The whole period is either blown out or dangerously big. The only real window of cleaner conditions was Sunday the 6th afternoon, but even then the swell was too big for the spot. It’s a blank run, and for this area, that’s a normal part of the cycle. Forecasts can change, but right now, I’d keep the board in the car and maybe find a sheltered cove to watch the show.

Rusty.

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