Scarecrows Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's get stuck into this one.

We've got a run of surf ahead at Scarecrows, but honestly, it's a bit of a frustrating stretch for the most part. The first solid window of real, grunty swell is late in the first week, but a lot of the days in between have a cross-shore wind messing things up. The water’s sitting at a pretty classic 85°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

We kick off Thursday the 20th with a solid 8ft SSW groundswell packing serious energy (2868). The period is a long 16 seconds, so that’s proper groundswell. But here’s the catch—the wind is a cross-shore SSE breeze at 12 mph, and the wave comment calls it "marginal." For a reef break like Scarecrows, that cross-shore is going to throw a chop on it and make things tough. This is really more of a kite-surfing setup than a clean paddle session right now.

Friday the 21st through to Sunday the 23rd of August offer some hope. We get clean, cross-off winds in the mornings from the SE at 12 mph. Friday sees a 7ft SSW swell (2489 energy), Saturday has 7ft (2322 energy), and Sunday drops to 6ft (1797 energy). These are good, solid waves—but remember, this is an advanced reef break. With the swell over 5ft, it's not for beginners, and it stays that way for most of the period. The long period (15-16 seconds) means the sets will be well-spaced, with plenty of power, but at a beach break they can straighten out. On a reef though? Should be some proper lined-up walls.

Now, the *standout*. The true gem here is the morning of September 1st. That Tuesday is looking like a beauty. We’ve got a 7ft SW groundswell pumping in with 2942 energy and an 18-second period—that’s a very long period, deep ocean groundswell. The wind is a light 6 mph cross-off from the SE, making for clean conditions. This is the best of the bunch. It’s a big, powerful swell for sure, so it’s for experienced surfers only, but the quality should be there.

Right after that, September 2nd is another cracker for the early crew. Glassy conditions—calm wind from the W at 0 mph. A 7ft SSW swell (2464 energy) with zero wind. That’s about as clean as it gets. Again, expert territory due to the size, but if you can handle it, that Wednesday morning is going to be unreal. The afternoon gets a light onshore, so get it early.

After that, the energy drops through September 3rd and 4th, but the 4th of September Friday morning is a sneaky good one. A 5ft SSW groundswell with a very, very long 20-second period and 2542 energy. There’s barely a whisper of wind—just 3 mph from the SE, cross-off and clean. That long period will have the reef singing.

To be honest, most of this two-week forecast is *nearly* good but held back by the wind. The mornings on the 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 25th, and 28th of August are clean enough to be worth a look, with solid swell in the 6ft to 7ft range. But for the true best of the best, lock in September 1st and 2nd. Just be ready for a powerful, expert-only wave.

Rusty.

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