Shipwrecks Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s have a look at the outlook for Shipwrecks.

Honestly, it’s a tough stretch ahead. Over the next couple of weeks, we’re looking at a whole lot of nothing special. The surf is mostly small, the wind is often doing dirty things, and there’s rarely a window where everything lines up. We’ve got a solid run from right now through to the end of the first week where conditions are poor or marginal at best. There isn’t a single standout day where I’d be rushing to wet a line, but there is one afternoon near the end that finally gives us something to work with.

Starting off Thursday the 13th, the swell is a tiny 2 ft from the SW with a very long period of 16 seconds. That groundswell has some deep energy (250), but the onshore SE wind at 9 mph is ruining it. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing wild. Thursday afternoon gets a touch more energy (411) with a cross-shore wind, but it’s still messy and poor. Friday the 14th sees a bit more swell size, 4 ft in the afternoon from the SW, and the combined energy climbs to 740, which is solid, but that cross-shore wind from the SW at 12 mph is creating a chop. It’s still only marginal. Saturday the 15th is similar in size, but the wind is cross-shore and the conditions are iffy.

The whole of the next week, from Sunday the 16th through to Thursday the 21st, is a grind of small swell – mostly 2 ft to 3 ft – and onshore or cross-onshore winds. The combined energy dips as low as 180, which is weak and uninspiring. There’s nothing here worth paddling out for. Friday the 22nd and Saturday the 23rd aren’t any better, with more onshore wind and small, weak lines.

Then we get a bit of a gap with more of the same until Tuesday the 25th. That afternoon, finally, something clicks. The wind shifts to a light offshore from the WSW at 6 mph, the swell is a small 2 ft but from the SW with a long 16-second period, and the combined energy is 268. The call says “expect good surf conditions” and the wave state is clean. That’s the only time in the whole 16 days where it looks like it might actually be worth a look. It’s small, but with that offshore wind and the reef-and-point setup, it could produce a few fun ones for an intermediate surfer.

The final days from the 26th to the 28th fade back into poor conditions with small swell and onshore breezes. For a spot that’s fairly consistent, this is a disappointing run, but as always, forecasts can change. Right now, if you’re desperate, pencil in the afternoon of Tuesday the 25th at Shipwrecks.

Rusty.

Read more