Saltwater Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s cookin’ at Saltwater over the next couple of weeks.

Straight up, it’s a bit of a slow burn. The first week or so is pretty average, with a lot of lumpy, onshore slop. The water temp is sitting right on the money for this time of year at 66°, so no surprises there.

The window kicks off on Friday, the 21st of August, but it’s nothing to write home about. We’ve got a tiny 2ft east-northeast windswell with a weak, short period of 6 seconds and a combined energy of only 42. The wind is a cross-onshore breeze, so it’s pretty messy. Saturday looks even smaller, with a glassy start but only 2ft on offer, and the wind swings around to ruin it in the arvo.

Sunday the 23rd is where we finally see a glimmer. The morning is glassy calm, and a new S swell rolls in at 2ft but with a lovely 12-second period, giving it a combined energy of 157. It’s a bit weak, but those clean conditions mean there’s a fun little wave for the beginners. The arvo gets a bit bumpy.

Honestly, the rest of the first week is a write-off. We get a burst of 6ft on Tuesday the 25th, but it’s a short-period 6-second windswell with 25km/h onshore winds – that’s just a wall of whitewater. Not worth paddling out for.

The real standout, and the one to circle in your calendar, is Monday the 31st of August. The morning session is absolute magic. We’ve got 3ft of swell, but it’s a groundswell coming from the south-southeast with a *very long* 18-second period. The combined energy is a solid 668, meaning there’s proper power in the water. Even better, the wind is glassy and the sun is out. This is a point break, so that long-period energy will wrap in beautifully and offer up some clean, lined-up waves. It’s a beginner-friendly spot, so it’ll be a great session for everyone. The arvo gets ruined by the onshore wind, so get it in the morning.

There’s a small, promising window on the morning of Tuesday the 1st of September as well, with another 3ft S swell, 11-second period, and glassy conditions.

Then, after a bit of a lull, the last highlight is on Saturday the 5th of September. The morning is glassy again with a 5ft SSE swell, a 10-second period, and combined energy of 385. That’s a solid, clean day. The arvo gets a bit of a strong offshore wind, which will hold the waves up nicely but might be a bit tricky for the beginners.

So, to sum it up: the first week is mostly a dud. The absolute best session on offer is the morning of Monday the 31st of August. The secondary pick would be the morning of Saturday the 5th of September. Don’t get too excited about anything else.

Rusty.

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