Shipwrecks Bay-Peaks Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty.

We’ve got a proper stretch of swell coming in, but it’s not all clean. The opening act is a solid south-west groundswell with a lot of push behind it. The water temp is about normal for this time of year, nothing crazy.

Shipwrecks Bay-Peaks is the only spot on the menu, and it’s a reef that can handle some size. The first real standout is Thursday morning (20th August) . We’re looking at 8ft of south-west swell, with a 14-second period – that’s a proper groundswell. The wind is dead glassy, and the air is clear. The energy is strong at 2447, and it’s going to be as clean as it gets. This is the pick of the early run. It’s a heavy, expert-only wave at this size, but if you can handle it, this is the one.

Thursday afternoon holds up nicely too, with a gentle offshore breeze and 8ft of south-west swell. Still excellent, still for the experienced crew. The energy is down a touch to 2032, but it’s still pumping.

Friday morning (21st) is still decent, with 6ft from the south-west, but the energy has dropped back to 999. It’s still glassy and clean, a bit more manageable, but the quality isn't the same.

From Friday afternoon through Saturday and into Sunday (22nd-23rd) , it turns ugly. The wind goes onshore and the swell drops off. The surf becomes small, lumpy and crossed-up. There’s a couple of days here where it's just not worth paddling out unless you're desperate.

Then, the magic returns. Monday morning (24th August) is looking serious. Dead calm wind, clear sky, and a 6ft south-west swell with a very long 17-second period. The energy is strong at 2331. It'll be glassy and clean, but that long period at a reef might make it a bit straight. Then Monday afternoon is the big one. The swell jumps to 10ft from the south-west, with a 16-second period and a massive energy reading of 4502. There’s a light cross-offshore wind keeping it clean. This is the other standout of the whole forecast. It’s big, powerful, and strictly for experts. Circle this one.

Tuesday (25th) brings another 10ft swell, but the wind has turned cross-onshore. Still big and powerful, but the quality drops off. After that, it’s a bit of a grind. The swell lingers, but the winds are mostly cross-onshore or onshore, and the energy slowly fades. There are a few cleaner moments with cross-offshore winds on the 29th and the 31st, but the size is down and it’s more marginal.

Looking further out, the first of September has a couple of promising sessions. Tuesday afternoon (1st September) sees a 7ft south-west swell with a moderate offshore wind and strong energy at 3058. Then Wednesday (2nd September) holds 10ft from the west with a solid offshore breeze, but that’s a while off, so treat it as promising but not locked in.

The two days to get excited about are Thursday morning (20th August) and Monday afternoon (24th August) . Get amongst it.

Rusty.

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