Scarborough Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s cut through the noise and look at the next couple of weeks at Scarborough Beach. There’s a solid pulse of west-southwest swell on the way, but it’s gonna take its time to settle into something you’d actually want to paddle out into.

First up, the standout window is Thursday the 20th. We’ve got an 8ft swell rolling in from the WSW with a long 16-second period, and the wind is glassy out of the southeast in the morning. The water’s sitting at 63°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year – noticeable, but not a deal-breaker. That morning session is looking proper, with clean conditions and plenty of energy in the water (combined energy at 3594). This is the one to circle on the calendar.

The run-up to that isn’t all bad. Tuesday afternoon sees 12ft of WSW swell with a 16-second period, but the WNW wind is cross-onshore, making it a bit of a washing machine – less about clean lines, more about getting worked. Wednesday keeps the size around 8-10ft, but the winds are either light cross-on or onshore, so it’s not doing the break any favors. The swell is straight and big, and the period is long, which on a beach break like this means the waves might be closing out a bit. Not the one.

After Thursday’s high, Friday the 21st is still worth a look. The morning has 7ft of WSW swell with a 15-second period and light offshore easterly winds – clean, but a notch down in energy (2010). Good for a few waves if you can get out early. The weekend drops off a touch, with Saturday morning holding 6ft of clean, long-period swell and light cross-offshore winds, but the afternoon turns cross-onshore and lumpy.

There’s a bit of a lull from Sunday the 23rd through Monday the 24th – swell drops to the 3-6ft range, and the winds get messy. Not gonna be great, maybe a few grovelly ones if you’re desperate. The water’s still cold, so don’t expect any temp rescue.

From Tuesday the 25th onwards, the wind cranks up – 22-25 mph onshore with rain. That’s a full blown out mess, surf quality hits zero. This setup looks way more interesting for a kiteboarder than a surfer, to be honest. The swell is still there (7-8ft, short 13-second period), but it’s just grubby.

A glimmer returns Thursday the 27th. The swell eases to 7ft with a 14-second period, and the winds are light – cross-offshore in the morning, then glassy in the afternoon. Clean, but the energy is dropping (1583 down to 1216). Good for a cruisy session if you’re keen.

Friday the 28th is smaller – 4ft with a 12-second period – but the wind is proper offshore from the east. Clean little waves, but not much push. The combined energy is weak (454-847), so you’ll be working for it.

After that, it’s a slow fade. The last few days of August and into September see pulsey WSW swells in the 5-8ft range, but the winds are mostly cross or onshore, chopping it up. Monday the 31st morning has a clean window with 6ft and light NE cross-offshore winds, and there’s a bigger pulse of swell building for September 1st – up to 8ft with a long 17-second period – but the winds are not aligned, so it’s gonna be a mess.

The standout, hands down, remains Thursday the 20th morning. Get it while it’s clean. The long-period WSW swell with glassy wind is the best you’ll see in this whole stretch. After that, it’s a grind between small clean windows and wind-blown chaos.

Keep an eye on that Thursday. It’s the one that’ll have you smiling.

Rusty.

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