Roads End Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty flat and bleak for most of us. There’s a lot of nothing in the water, but let’s sift through it for any little pockets of promise.

The forecast opens up on Thursday the 20th of August, but honestly, it’s not worth paddling out. We’ve got a cross-onshore breeze chewing up a 5ft swell at 11 seconds from the WNW at Roads End. The combined energy is only moderate, reading 677, and the water is a frigid 51° – that’s a massive -4° anomaly, meaning it’s much colder than you’d expect for this time of year. The whole first week is a bit of a write-off with small, messy surf.

Now, Sunday the 23rd of August does throw a little bone. The morning shows some glimmer of hope: a glassy, clean 4ft swell from the WNW. The problem is the period is a short, weak 7 seconds, so you’re looking at small, crumbly waves. The energy is moderate (299), but it’s probably the best of a bad lot for a quick, grovelly session before the wind swings onshore in the afternoon.

After that, the whole second week is dominated by tiny, weak, and often cross-shore conditions. Swells hover around 1ft to 2ft with long periods from the SW, which on a beach-and-reef setup like Roads End means the waves will be straightening out and closing out. Low energy across the board, with readings mostly between 100 and 350.

There’s one final tease on Sunday the 30th of August. Another glassy morning with a 2ft SW swell at a very long 16 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at 331. That long period will make it super clean, but the size is so small it’s only going to be rideable on a log. Again, the wind is perfect, but the wave size is the limiting factor.

The long-range hint comes on Friday the 4th of September, but it’s a messy 6ft short-period windswell from the NNW. The energy bumps up to 404, but with a period of only 6 seconds and a cross-shore wind, it looks more like a choppy mess than a surfable day.

All in all, the standout session is looking like the glassy Sunday morning on the 23rd of August. It’s the only combo of clean wind and a little bit of size. Get out early before it gets ruined. For the rest, the board might as well stay in the bag.

Rusty.

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