Scratby Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s not sugarcoat it: the next couple of weeks are looking pretty bare for a proper paddle. We’ve got a long stretch of tiny, weak, and messy surf ahead. The silver lining is that it won’t stay flat forever, and there are a couple of windows where the conditions will line up for a fun session if you’re willing to wait.

The immediate forecast is a write-off. We’re looking at a solid week of nothing but knee-high slop and cross-shore chop, with the swell energy sitting in the doldrums—values of 2 to 18 in the combined energy department. The water’s running at about 68°F, which is a few degrees warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least it’ll be comfortable while you’re getting skunked.

The first real glimmer of hope shows up on the morning of Wednesday, August 19th. We’ve got a fresh offshore breeze, and the swell bumps up to 3 feet from the NW with a period of 7 seconds. It’s not big, but the wind’s cleaning it up nicely. The energy jumps to 77, which is still weak, but it’s the first sign of life. Don’t get too excited, it’s still just a marginal wave.

The standout of the whole window, by a long shot, is the morning of Thursday, August 20th. The swell pushes to 3 feet from the north with an 8-second period, and we’ve got light, cross-offshore winds that’ll keep the face tidy. Combined energy hits 111, which finally puts us in “moderate” territory. This is your best bet for a proper surf. It’s not huge, but it’s clean, and that makes all the difference. If you can only get out once in the next two weeks, make it this one.

After that, it gets frustrating again. We’ve got a few days with surfable but ordinary waves, but the winds turn onshore and chop everything up. Sunday, August 23rd sees the swell push to 5 feet, with energy up to 246, but the cross-onshore wind is going to make it a messy, bumpy mess. That one’s more for the kitesurfers than the paddle surfers.

We then hit a proper dead spell from August 24th to 26th—surf drops back to under 3 feet with onshore winds and poor energy. The 27th shows a late push, with the morning looking glassy and clean with a 4 feet swell from the SSE, but the period is a short 5 seconds, so it’ll be soft and won’t have much punch. The afternoon on that day jumps to 6 feet, but the cross-onshore kills it.

The final few days of the window, the 28th and 29th, are pretty much flat as a tack. The swell energy is down to near zero and the wind is howling. It’s just a blank run.

So, here’s the deal: the tide’s gonna turn eventually. Forecasts this far out are always a bit of a gamble, but for now, the Thursday morning of the 20th is your only real standout. Get out there if you can, otherwise be patient. This too shall pass.

– Rusty

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