Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee and settle in, because this 16-day stretch for Rivermouth is a rollercoaster, and it’s gonna take a bit to unpack. We’ve got a real slow start, a few glimmers, and then a proper south swell to close out the run.

First off, the water temp. Right now it’s sitting at 65°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year. The anomaly is -3°F, so that’s a solid chill. Don’t leave the wetsuit at home.

The first few days are a real struggle. Wednesday afternoon and all of Thursday are a write-off – messy, cross-shore winds, poor conditions. The energy is there (values around 797 to 1006), but it’s just ugly. Friday morning shows a bit of a pulse with 5 ft swell from the east at a short 8 seconds, and the wind is cross-offshore, so it’s clean. The score is marginal, but it’s the first real look. Friday afternoon gets bigger at 6 ft, but the wind goes cross and it gets a bit choppy.

The standout of the first week is Saturday morning, 15 August. This is the one to circle. The wind goes dead glassy, 0 mph, and we’ve got 4 ft of east swell. It’s small, but it’s clean as a whistle and the energy is moderate (243). For a beginner-friendly spot like Rivermouth, that’s a perfect window. The crowd factor is "sometimes", so you might have a few out, but on a Saturday morning with glass, it’ll be worth it.

After that, Sunday through to Wednesday 19 August is a real mixed bag – mostly cross-shore winds, short period swell, and a lot of "poor" or "marginal" calls. Energy drops off a bit (down to 178-434). Not much to get excited about. Wednesday afternoon gets a spike at 7 ft from the SSW, but it’s onshore and choppy – a messy, powerful lump.

Then comes the back half of the window. Thursday 20 August kicks off a proper south swell, with 7 ft at 12 seconds and a massive energy reading of 1284. It’s cross-onshore and rainy, so it’s marginal, but the power is there. That swell builds through the weekend.

The real standout of the whole outlook is Friday afternoon, 21 August. The wind goes glassy again, with 6 ft of SSE swell at 8 seconds. The energy is solid (599), and the conditions are described as "very good". This is a proper session for Rivermouth – clean, fun, and punchy. The crowd factor is "sometimes", so get out there.

The following weekend, 23-24 August, brings the biggest swell of the run. Sunday afternoon sees 8 ft from the south at a very long 17 seconds, with a massive energy of 2977. That’s a serious groundswell. The wind is light cross-onshore, so it’s a bit lumpy, but for a rivermouth setup, that long period can really push through. This is expert territory at that size. Monday morning stays big at 7 ft, 16 seconds (2060 energy), but cross-shore wind starts to chop it up.

After that, the swell fades fast through Tuesday and Wednesday, 26-27 August, with smaller SSW pulses and glassy mornings on the 27th, but the energy drops right off (186-833). A quiet end to the outlook.

In short: The best bets are Saturday morning 15 August for clean, small waves, and Friday afternoon 21 August for the best combo of clean conditions and proper swell. The big south swell on 23-24 August is for experienced surfers only due to size and power.

- Rusty

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