Scarecrows Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you about the surf ahead. It's a bit of a slow burn at Scarecrows over these next sixteen days, and the first couple of days are pretty ordinary. Don't rush out there on Monday or Tuesday.

Monday the 10th sees some swell but it's messy. We've got about 6ft of south swell coming through with a moderate cross-shore breeze and a cross-chop on it. The energy is strong at 2551, but it's not doing us any favors. The water's sitting at a warm 85°F, which is about normal for this time of year, nothing weird there. The morning is a write-off, and the afternoon is much the same, just a bit of a longer period but still cross and choppy. Not worth the paddle.

Tuesday the 11th looks a touch better in the morning. The swell pushes up to 8ft from the south with a 17-second period, and we get a clean cross-offshore breeze from the southeast. There's real power in the water, with an energy reading of 3917. It's a step up in quality, but it's still not a classic. The afternoon gets a bit ragged again with the wind going cross. If you can get out early, there might be a few solid ones, but hold your horses.

Wednesday the 12th is more of the same, a bit smaller at 7ft, still clean in the morning with the cross-off breeze, but the energy drops a bit to 2192. It's surfable, but not something to write home about. The afternoon goes soft and cross.

Thursday the 13th is pretty average. 6ft in the morning, clean but unremarkable, and the energy is starting to fade to 2077. Then the afternoon brings a risk of thunderstorms and the wind goes cross again. Not great.

Now, Friday the 14th is where things start to get interesting. The morning has 8ft of south swell with a 16-second period, clean conditions with that cross-offshore breeze, and the energy is pumping at 2692. It's what we'd call excellent surf for experienced surfers. But the real standout is the afternoon. The wind drops right out to a glassy 5 km/h from the east-northeast. It's 7ft, still from the south, with a 15-second period. That's as clean as it gets. If you can only pick one window this week, that Friday afternoon is it. This is a reef break, so it's an advanced wave, and the long period is going to make it line up properly.

The weekend is a step down. Saturday the 15th has 6ft in the morning, clean enough, but it's smaller. Sunday the 16th starts with a completely glassy morning, 5ft and dead calm. That'll be super clean, but the swell is dropping and the energy is down to 1142. It's a nice paddle, but the punch isn't there.

Then we hit a flat spell. Monday the 17th is poor, dropping right down to 3ft in the afternoon. That's a gap of a few days where there's just nothing doing. It's the kind of lull that'll make you want to clean your board and wait.

But hold on, the second week starts to show some promise. Tuesday the 18th things pick up again with 6ft of south-southwest swell, and Wednesday the 19th sees it build to 7ft with an 18-second period. The energy is climbing back up to 2807. The mornings are clean with that cross-off breeze. It's looking better.

The real standout for this whole period, though, is Thursday the 20th. The morning has 8ft of south-southwest swell with a 16-second period, and it's clean. The energy is a massive 3166 – this is the best on offer. Big, solid, and clean. This is for experienced surfers only, the kind of size where you need to know what you're doing on a reef.

The tail end of the run, from Friday the 21st through to Monday the 24th, keeps a decent 7ft to 8ft of swell in the water, with clean mornings. But the energy and the conditions aren't quite as epic as that Thursday. It's still good, just not the standout. The period drops a bit, and the winds are lighter, which is fine.

One thing to keep in mind: this place is a consistent reef, but it handles the long-period south swells the best. When the period is up around 17 to 20 seconds, it's going to be at its best. The early week has shorter periods, which aren't as good.

So, to wrap it up: Don't bother with Monday or Tuesday. Friday the 14th afternoon is your first real window, glassy and solid. Then wait for Thursday the 20th morning – that's the one that'll get the heart racing. The rest is just building blocks. The long-range stuff is promising but we'll keep an eye on it. This spot can pump, and when it does, you'll know.

Rusty.

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