Shipstern Bluff Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk Shipstern Bluff in feet and miles per hour.

We’ve got a wild ride ahead over the next sixteen days, but it’s not all gonna be pretty. The big news is a monster pulse of SW groundswell that hits on the morning of Thursday the 13th of August. We’re talkin’ a solid 16 ft at 15 seconds from the SW, with a combined energy reading of 16528. That’s a seriously heavy slab of ocean energy. For the experienced crew only – this thing is dangerous. The wind is a fresh 22 mph cross-shore, so it won’t be perfect, but for those who can handle it, it’s the standout of the whole period by a mile. The afternoon drops to 13 ft, still a beast, but the wind stays cross.

Leading up to that, the Wednesday beforehand is just a write-off. Wednesday the 12th serves up 6 ft to 8 ft with a 16-second period, but with strong 25 mph cross-winds and rain, the surface is a mess. Not worth paddling out for.

After the big Thursday, Friday the 14th is smaller at 10 ft but the wind goes cross-off in the morning at 22 mph, offering a cleaner window for the very experienced. The real change comes Saturday the 15th of August. The morning is clear, with a light 6 mph NW breeze going cross-off and an 8 ft SSW groundswell. The combined energy is still a hefty 2763, but it’s clean. Conditions are excellent for those who know the reef.

Sunday the 16th stays clean with light 6 mph cross-off winds and a 5 ft SSW swell (990 energy). The following Monday, the 17th of August, gives us a real treat: glassy conditions, zero wind, and a 4 ft SSW groundswell. That light period, while small, will be perfect for a session when the sets roll through.

We then hit a long gap. From the 18th through to the morning of Saturday the 22nd of August, the swell drops well below 3 ft. The wind is often offshore or clean, but there’s simply not enough energy to push the reef. It’s a blank run of about five days where you’re better off doing something else.

Things begin to stir again on Sunday the 23rd of August. A new long-period groundswell arrives, 4 ft at a massive 21 seconds, but the wind is cross-onshore at 9 mph and it’s lumpy. Not a good combo for a wave this heavy.

The real action returns on Tuesday the 25th of August. We’ve got another solid pulse: 13 ft from the SW at 14 seconds, and a combined energy reading of 12440. The cross-shore wind is a gentle 9 mph, so it won’t be blown out, but that’s still a heavy, dangerous wave. Wednesday the 26th drops to a much more manageable 8 ft for the morning and 7 ft in the afternoon, both with clean, cross-off winds. Conditions are excellent for experienced surfers again, but don’t kid yourself – this is never a beginners wave.

Oh, and I should mention, the water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, so you’ll want a decent suit.

The standout of the whole sixteen days is without a doubt the morning of Thursday the 13th: 16 ft, SW, and a ton of raw energy. If you’re a local charger and the wind plays ball a little, that’s your window. For the rest of us, the glassy Monday the 17th will be a much more pleasant session.

Rusty.

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