Scarborough South Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here.

Look, I’ll be straight with you. The next couple of weeks for Scarborough South Bay are mostly a flat, frustrating mess. We’ve got a long stretch of tiny, weak swell and wind that’s all over the shop. If you’re desperate for a paddle, you might scratch out a few ankle-biters, but honestly, it’s not worth getting wet for most of it.

The window kicks off on Saturday the 8th with just 1ft of weak, short-period junk from the NNE. Morning has a cross-off breeze, but it’s tiny. That flatness hangs around in some form for days. Sunday the 9th is almost nothing, 0.3ft. Monday the 10th is similar – 2ft. The middle of the week sees a slight bump but with poor quality; Tuesday the 11th pushes 3ft from the north but with a cross-chop, so it’s messy. That pattern of small, wind-affected waves continues through to the 19th. There’s a bit of a pulse on Tuesday the 13th, but it’s only up to around 3ft and straight from the east – not great. The weekend of the 16th and 17th is tiny, but there are some glassy moments early on the 17th if you’re truly desperate with the smallest board you own.

Then things start to wake up. On Thursday the 20th, we finally see some proper energy come in. The swell builds to 5ft in the morning, and it’s glassy with rain showers – that’s clean, but the period is a short 6 seconds, so it’ll be a bit soft and crumbly. The afternoon gets better, 5ft from the north and dead calm. That’s your first real chance for a fun, clean session, but it’s still not big.

The standout, the one you’ve been waiting for, is Friday the 21st of August. The swell jumps to 7ft in the morning with a period of 8 seconds from the north. The wind is cross-off, which will keep it reasonably clean. The wave comment says it’s marginal, and that’s fair – it might be a bit lumpy at the point, but it’s the most power we’ve seen in a fortnight. The afternoon drops to 7ft but the wind swings cross-on, making it messier. This is the pick of the window, but it’s still over 5ft, so it’s getting too big for beginners. Keep that in mind.

After that, it fades fast. Saturday the 22nd drops back to 3ft, and Sunday the 23rd is back to junk – 1ft or less with a fresh cross-shore breeze. The long-range call for the 21st looks promising, but with this much time out, it’s a “keep an eye on it” situation rather than a lock.

The water temp is 62°, which is about one degree warmer than average for this time of year – noticeable if you’ve been in the water all summer, but not crazy.

So, if you’re going to pick your moment, make it Thursday the 20th afternoon for the glass, or brace yourself for Friday the 21st morning when there’s actually some grunt in the water. Otherwise, save your energy.

Rusty.

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