Saltwater Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks at Saltwater.

We’ve got a bit of a slow start, but there are a couple of windows that will get the heart pumping. The first real action kicks off on Wednesday the 19th with a nice pulse of energy. The real standout, though, is going to be that last Sunday of the month. Let’s break it down.

Wednesday morning the 19th is your best early bet. We’re looking at a clean 4ft swell from the ESE with a moderate 10-second period pushing through. What really makes it sing is the glassy conditions – barely a breath of wind from the NNE at 3 mph. The water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, so a good old steamer isn’t a bad idea. The combined swell energy is a solid moderate 385, enough to push you around and get some fun ones.

The afternoon turns onshore with a NE breeze at 9 mph, and the quality drops right off. Thursday and Friday are pretty much write-offs with smaller, onshore junk. Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd are tiny – you’d be fighting for dribbles. There’s a bit of a lull, but keep your eyes peeled.

Monday afternoon the 24th we get another short window. The swell jumps back up to 3ft from the NE with a 8-second period, and it’s glassy again. The combined energy is a moderate 204, so it’ll be fun but not huge.

Tuesday the 25th is surfable but ordinary. A glassy morning gives way to a moderate offshore wind in the afternoon from the SW at 12 mph, which cleans things up for the 2ft NE swell.

Now, Wednesday the 26th is where it gets interesting. A solid pulse arrives: 5ft from the S, but with a short 7-second period. The wind is howling offshore from the WSW at 12 mph, making it clean. The combined energy jumps to a strong 417. This is proper short-period windswell, but the offshore breeze will make it rampy and punchy. Good for intermediates, but the size might be a bit much for beginners. The afternoon stays clean with similar conditions.

Thursday morning the 27th is a treat before it goes bad. Glassy conditions with a 3ft SSE swell and a 9-second period. Get out early before the onshore wind ruins it by the afternoon.

Saturday the 28th has some clean morning waves with a 4ft SE swell (9s period) and a cross-offshore breeze. It’s a solid, clean option.

Then we hit the real standout. Sunday morning the 30th of August. This is the one. A 10ft SSE swell with a 9-second period and light offshore winds from the W at 6 mph. The combined swell energy is a massive 1300 – that’s pumping. This is expert territory only. The waves will be powerful and heavy, with a lot of water moving. Not for the faint-hearted. The afternoon goes cross-shore and drops to a still-large 8ft, but the quality is more marginal.

After that, it tails off into a long run of smaller, longer-period swell (up to 18 seconds on Monday the 31st) but with tricky cross or onshore winds. The energy is still moderate, but it won’t be clean. Tuesday and Wednesday of the first week of September are weak and not worth the hassle.

So there you have it. The winner is Sunday the 30th of August for the big-wave crew. For everyone else, Wednesday the 26th offers the best combo of size and offshore perfection.

Rusty.

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