Riviera Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Looking at the next few weeks, it’s a bit of a slow burn, to be honest. We’ve got a stretch of small, junky waves ahead, but there’s a glimmer of something better lining up for the end of the run. You’ll need to pick your moments and keep your expectations in check for most of it.

The first real chance of a wave doesn’t show up until Thursday morning, the 20th. Riviera’s kicking things off with a small 3ft SSW swell, with a long 14-second period. Wave energy is still weak (323). The breeze is light and cross-onshore, leaving the surface a bit rippled. It’s not going to be pretty, but it’s rideable if you’re desperate and a beginner. Later that afternoon, the wind swings more onshore, and the call drops to poor. Honestly, Thursday’s a marginal call at best.

Friday the 21st is more of the same. A touch smaller at 2ft, still from the SSW, but the onshore wind is going to make it messy. The energy dips to 256. It’s surfable for the absolute beginner, but it’s a grinder, not a gem.

Then we hit a real flat spell. From Saturday the 22nd through to Wednesday the 26th, it’s all poor surf conditions. The swell drops to 2ft – 2ft, and the cross-onshore breezes keep things choppy. Don’t bother.

Thursday the 27th shows a little pulse of life. The morning is still a 2ft SSW, but by the afternoon, it bumps to 3ft with a 15-second period, and the energy jumps to a moderate 517. The wind is side-offshore and light. It’s still small, but the water will be cleaner. This is the first day that feels like an actual surf session rather than a fight.

The standouts of this whole period start to come alive from Friday the 28th. There’s a proper SSW groundswell pushing through. Friday morning sees 3ft with a long 19-second period and a healthy energy of 734. The wind is light and offshore. This is the pick of the first week, with clean, lined-up waves on the points and reefs. Riviera (Riviera-1) is the spot, and with consistent waves and an offshore breeze, it should be well worth a paddle. The swell direction from the SSW is right in the zone for this break.

Saturday the 29th keeps the energy flowing. The morning is 3ft with a 17-second period and strong energy (773), still with light offshore winds. It gets a bit bumpy in the afternoon as the wind picks up and goes cross-onshore. But the morning session is golden.

Sunday the 30th is still fun, with 4ft waves and good energy, but the wind is a bit more cross-onshore, taking the shine off it. You’ll still find some clean ones, though.

After that, it fades. Monday the 31st and Tuesday the 1st drop back to the 3ft range with poor conditions and cross-onshore breezes. The energy fades too. We’re back to small and messy.

The final week is slim pickings. Wednesday the 2nd to Friday the 4th of September has a few pulses of 2ft – 2ft, but nothing with any real push. The best of it looks like Thursday morning the 3rd, with a short-period 2ft W swell, but it’s weak (221) and junky. It’s not worth getting excited about.

So, overall, you’ve got a lot of flat or poor days to sit through, a little burst of clean, small waves on Friday and Saturday the 28th and 29th, and that’s your lot. The long-period nature of the Friday swell will make it a bit straight at the beach breaks, but Riviera’s a reef setup that should handle it nicely. It’s a promising run for this area, but don’t bank on it too hard this far out. For the short board crew, it’ll be lean. For the longboard and foamie riders, there are a few windows.

Alright, keep an eye on the sky and I’ll see you in the water.

Rusty.

Read more