Shipwrecks Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Shipwrecks over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – it’s a lean run. We’ve got waves, but the quality is going to be a battle for most of it.

The forecast kicks off on Saturday, 8th August, but don’t get your hopes up. The water is sitting at a very unusual 87°, which is 5° warmer than normal for this time of year – feels like bathwater. The wind is a messy cross-shore from the SW at 16 mph, and it’s putting a chop on that 3 ft SSW swell. The combined energy is only moderate (319), so it’s weak and messy. You’d be struggling.

Sunday 9th August isn’t much better. A gentle cross-onshore wind from the SSW keeps things choppy, though the energy ticks up a notch (422). Still, with a score of zero, it’s a hard pass. The afternoon shows a flicker of something better – a clean cross-offshore wind from the WSW. The swell is still a modest 3 ft from the SSW, but the period drops to 13 seconds, so it’s a bit more wind-swell. The energy is moderate (270). It’s “marginal,” but if you’re desperate, that’s your window.

The stand-out, and I mean the only one that’s truly worth a paddle, is Wednesday afternoon, 12th August. The wind goes glassy – dead calm from the east at 3 mph. The swell is still small at 2 ft from the SW, but the period is a decent 16 seconds, giving it some long-period groundswell energy (288). It’s going to be clean, glassy, and the break will be tidy. The ratings guide says it’s the best day of the whole run, and for a reef and point like Shipwrecks, that long period is a good match for the setup. This is your best chance.

After that, things get grim. From Thursday 13th through to Sunday 23rd August, it’s a long stretch of onshore winds, cross-onshore junk, and poor surf. There’s a bit of a pulse in the swell around Friday 14th August, with 3 ft from the SSW and energy jumping up to a strong 668, but the wind is cross-on and it’s choppy. That’s a kite-surfing wind, not a paddle-surfing one. The swell period is 17 seconds, which is very long, and on a beachier setup that would be a problem, but here it might just make the sets a bit too straight for the point.

The very end of the run, on Sunday 23rd August, shows a slight improvement. The swell builds back to 3 ft from the SSE, with a shorter period of 10 seconds, and the wind is a gentle cross-shore from the SSW. The energy is moderate (329). It’s “marginal,” but it’s a step up from the nothing that precedes it. Not a standout, but a possible last look.

Honestly, this is a tough forecast. The only real standout is that Wednesday afternoon, 12th August, with the glassy conditions. Otherwise, it’s a lot of chop and cross-shore junk. Don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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