Shipwrecks Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s coming our way.

Bottom line: it’s a long, quiet stretch ahead. The first real surf worth talking about doesn’t show up until the morning of Tuesday, August 11th, and even then it’s only just creeping into the "maybe" zone. Up until then, we’re looking at a pretty flat spell with no real swell energy and messy wind. The waves are small, choppy, and inconsistent. The Friday morning of the 31st of July starts it off with a small 3 ft swell from the SSW, but the cross-onshore wind from the SSE and a combined energy of just 281 (weak) means it’s poor. That pattern holds all the way through the first week and into the second. Saturday afternoon the 1st of August sees the wind shift cross-offshore from the WSW, cleaning it up, but the swell is only 2 ft – not enough to get excited about. The whole first eight days are a write-off.

Then, on Tuesday the 11th of August, we get a flicker of hope. The morning at Shipwrecks (reef and point) sees a 2 ft SSW swell arriving with a 18-second period – that’s proper long-period groundswell. The combined energy jumps to 440 (moderate), which is the most we’ve seen in a while. The wind is light from the SSE, just a cross-on breeze, and the conditions are clean enough to be called "marginal." It’s not a howling day, but for a spot that’s been dead for over a week, this is the standout. The swell direction is SSW, which matches the optimum direction from the south, so it’s lining up nicely for the reef and point setup. The water temperature is 86°F, which is 4°F warmer than normal – much warmer than usual for this time of year, so you’ll be surfing in a bath.

Wednesday the 12th of August morning is similar, with a 2 ft SW swell at 16 seconds and light onshore wind from the SSE – still marginal, but clean enough. The combined energy is 337 (moderate). The afternoon sees the wind drop to almost nothing, with a 3 mph cross-shore from the SSW – that’s glassy, light conditions. The swell at 2 ft and 16 seconds is still a long-period groundswell, and with the light wind, it’ll be clean. This is probably the pick of the whole outlook: a small but clean, lined-up wave at a reef and point.

The end of the second week, Friday the 14th of August afternoon, brings a slight bump – 4 ft from the SW at 17 seconds, with a combined energy of 785 (strong). The wind is light cross-onshore from the SSW, so it’ll be a bit bumpy, but the energy is there. That’s a promising look, but it’s a long way out – keep an eye on it.

For the whole period, if you’re a beginner, the surf never gets above 3 ft until the 14th, and even then it’s 4 ft – which is fine. Experts might get a bit more out of the longer period swells, but nothing here is over 8 ft.

Shipwrecks can get crowded, especially on the weekend mornings, but on Tuesday and Wednesday the 12th, you might find a bit more room.

So, the best on offer? Tuesday the 11th of August morning and the Wednesday the 12th of August afternoon at Shipwrecks. The Wednesday afternoon is the real standout – light winds, clean, long-period groundswell, and a reef and point that’ll handle the long period perfectly. It’s small, but it’ll be a fun session.

Stay patient, and get out there mid-week the second week.

Rusty.

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