Shipstern Bluff Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s get into it for Shipstern Bluff. We’ve got a big 16-day window ahead, and this place doesn’t mess around – it’s a deep-water reef for advanced crew only. We start with some hefty swell on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th August, with waves around 10ft to 13ft from the SW and a solid period (13 sec). The combined energy is massive – in the thousands and hitting 9076 – but the cross-shore wind is a letdown, keeping it lumpy and messy. Saturday afternoon is crossed out (score of 0). Sunday morning is the best early call: 13ft SW swell (9076 combined energy) with a moderate cross-shore, rated “marginal” but given a 6 internally. It’s the pick of the first few days, though it’s a bit of a battle.

The real standout hits on Monday 31st August afternoon. We’ve got 12ft SW swell with a 14-second period – groundswell energy (7932 combined). Wind shifts light cross-onshore from the SW at just 3 mph, barely a ripple. This is clean, powerful, and for those who know the reef, it’s the best on offer in the first week. Serious juice, but it’s for experienced surfers only – 12ft is pushing it for anyone not dialed in.

We hit a drop-off Tuesday 1st September morning with a 5ft SW swell and 16-second period – that’s a long-period groundswell. Offshore winds from the NNW at 16 mph make it clean, but the energy is weaker (1287). The wave itself is smaller and more drawn out, better on the reef than a beach break. After that, the next few days are grovelly or windy, with a nasty near-gale on Thursday 3rd September (34 mph cross-shore) blowing out 13ft swell. Skip it.

Now, for the second week, the standout is Saturday 12th September morning. This is the one. Glassy conditions – NNW wind at just 3 mph, dead calm. A 12ft SW swell with a 17-second period and combined energy of 6633. This is exceptional, world-class conditions for expert surfers. The water temp is 54°F, about average for the time of year (anomaly of 1°F). It’s a true gem in the window. Sunday 13th September morning is also strong: 12ft SW swell (14-second period, 9264 combined energy) with gentle offshore NNW winds – clean and pumping, scoring a 9 internally. That’s your other high point. The 8th September afternoon has huge 13ft SW swell with an 18-second period (15284 energy) but the report notes it’s too big for the break – even for experts, that’s a monster.

The rest of the second week has solid swell but wind and size issues. The 11th September has a 19-second period swell but onshore winds, ruining it. Crowds at Shipstern are rare, so you’ll have it quiet, but this is not a beginner spot – anything over 5ft is big, and over 8ft is expert-only, which is almost the whole forecast.

In short, circle Monday 31st August afternoon for the first week’s cleanest punch, and lock in Saturday 12th September morning for the ultimate glassy session. The 13th September morning is also epic. Don’t sleep on the long-period swells – they’ll have shape but can be tricky on the reef.

- Rusty

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