Road K Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you–this 16-day stretch for Road K is a tough one. We’ve got a long, quiet gap right at the start, with nothing worth paddling out for until the second week. The first proper surfable window shows up on the morning of Friday 12 September, but even then it’s small and ordinary. Hang tight, because the pattern finally shifts into something borderline fun by Tuesday 15 September, and that’s your best bet.

The water temp here is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual to report.

Thursday 4 September through to Thursday 11 September is a write-off. The swell is tiny, under 3ft most days, and when it does nudge up on Monday 7 September the combined wave energy climbs to 120 (moderate), but you’re looking at a short-period 11-second E groundswell that’ll be too straight for this sandbar setup – much better suited to a reef or point. Winds are mostly offshore or cross-off, but the waves are just too weak and short to get excited about. No standouts here.

Friday 12 September morning: still poor. Swell drops to 0.7ft from the ESE with a weak combined energy of 17, and onshore SW wind at 12 mph makes it choppy. Not happening.

Then Sunday 14 September afternoon: we get a bit of hope. Swell is only 1ft from the SE, period 9 seconds, combined energy at 60 (weak), but at least it’s clean with NW offshore wind at 16 mph. Surfable but still very ordinary.

Tuesday 15 September is your real standout in this outlook. Morning: 2ft ESE swell, period 8 seconds, combined energy 73 (weak), but clean with N offshore wind at 12 mph. Still small, but the offshore is glassy and the sets might offer a few grovelly runners. Afternoon improves a touch: 2ft E swell, period 9 seconds, combined energy 88 (still weak), with NNW offshore wind at 9 mph and gentle offshore conditions. Clean, tiny, but the best we’ve got in this run. If you’re desperate for a paddle, that Tuesday afternoon is your window.

Wednesday 16 September morning repeats the same small, clean theme: 2ft ESE swell, period 9 seconds, 70 energy, N offshore at 9 mph. Ordinary but rideable.

After that, Thursday 17 September sees a weird spike in period to 13 seconds from the SE, but the swell is only 1ft and combined energy drops to 57 – that long-period groundswell on a sandbar at that size is just not going to break properly. Cross-shore wind kills any hope. Then Friday 18 September morning brings a sudden 4ft E swell at 5-second period (134 energy, moderate), but with onshore SSE wind at 6 mph and rain showers, the quality will be messy and short-period wind chop. Not for paddle surfing – maybe worth a look if you’re kiting.

Summing up: don’t hold your breath. The only half-decent chance is Tuesday 15 September afternoon, with clean offshore winds on ankle-to-knee high swell. It’s a small window, but it’s clean. For the rest of the 16 days, the sandbar stays quiet. Forecasts can shift, but right now, leave the board on the roof until that Tuesday.

Rusty.

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