Rimmers Road Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at this stretch of coast for a long time. Let me tell you what I see for Rimmers Road over the next couple of weeks.

First off, I gotta be straight with you: this is a tough run. The opening days are a write-off. Tuesday the 1st and Wednesday the 2nd of September are just nasty – big cross-onshore winds and lumpy, poor surf. We’re talking 22 mph winds on the Tuesday, swell up around 16 ft from the SW, and the combined wave energy is a thumping 9493 (moderate–strong), but it’s all junk. Do not bother paddling out. The water’s sitting at 58°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Thursday the 3rd is only marginal, and the wind’s still messy. Friday the 4th gets worse again with fresh cross-onshore winds and rain. The swell is too big, the wind is wrong – it’s a kiting setup more than a surfing one.

Here’s the thing: Rimmers Road is a very consistent break, but it’s also exposed to the SW, and we’ve got a relentless run of SW and WSW swell. The problem is that these swells are too big and the wind is almost always cross-on or onshore. For a beginner-level break, anything over 5 ft is getting challenging, and we’re seeing 10 ft to 16 ft for days. From the 5th to the 8th of September, the swell sits between 8 ft and 16 ft, and even though the wind moderates a little on the 5th, it’s still too big for this spot. The combined energy is over 4000 (moderate to strong) consistently. The Saturday the 5th and Sunday the 6th have “wind and tide favorable” notes, but the swell is too big – that’s a hard pass for anyone but experts, and even then, the wind’s not clean.

We don’t get a real shot until September 15th. That’s the standout. Tuesday the 15th of September – morning and afternoon – Rimmers Road sees a cross-offshore wind from the NNE and NE, only 9 mph, and the swell drops to 8 ft and 8 ft from the SW. The wave energy is 2603 (moderate). The notes say “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers,” and that’s the best we’ve got. The wind is clean, the swell is long-period (14 seconds), which means it’s a proper groundswell. For a beach break, that long period can make it a bit straight, but with cross-offshore wind, it’ll be fun. The crowds at Rimmers Road are listed as “sometimes,” so you might get a few out, but it shouldn’t be a circus.

September 16th is close but not quite as good – the wind goes light cross-shore, and the swell is 7 ft from the SW, but the notes say “marginal” for tide conditions. It’s a second-tier option.

So here’s the deal: the first two weeks are mostly a washout. You’ve got a big gap of poor or too-big surf from the 1st right through to the 14th. The only true standout is Tuesday the 15th of September. That’s the day to call in sick, get the wax out, and enjoy some clean, cross-offshore waves at Rimmers Road. Everything else is a miss or just for the diehards on a big board.

Rusty.

Read more