Shooting Gallery Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what’s on the cards. Let’s be straight up with you – the next couple of weeks look pretty average for a proper paddle session. We’ve only got the one spot in the mix, Shooting Gallery, and it’s coming up with a consistent run of "poor surf conditions" right through. Mind you, it’s a consistent break, which means it does tick over fairly often.

The water temp is clocking in at 74°, a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. The combined swell energy sits around moderate (141). Problem is, we’ve got a moderate cross-onshore breeze all through the first day, which is going to mess with the shape. The swell is coming from the North at 3ft, and that’s with a short period of 5 seconds – not the sort of stuff that builds clean lines on a reef break like Shooting Gallery.

Moving into Thursday the 13th and Friday the 14th, the swell bumps up a fraction to 4ft, still out of the North, but the period only stretches to 6 or 7 seconds. That’s pretty junky, and with the wind hanging in from the NNE, it’s going to stay choppy. Swell energy increases a little (up to 232 on Thursday morning, 268 on Friday morning) but it’s not translating to quality.

Saturday the 15th sees the swell height at 5ft in the morning, but a fresh breeze kicks up to 19 mph in the afternoon – that’s lumpy, ugly conditions. The short period (7 seconds) means no real grunt behind the waves. Sunday the 16th flips to an onshore wind, but still messy.

Through the middle of next week, Monday 17th through to Wednesday 19th, the period does start to climb, hitting 9 or 10 seconds by Tuesday. That’s a bit more like it – longer gaps between sets, a bit of energy behind them – but the wind is mostly cross or cross-on, keeping a chop on the surface. Combined energy gets up to 284 on Tuesday morning, which is moderate, but the swell direction is still locked in from the North, whereas this break lines up best with a NNW. So it’s coming in at a bit of an angle, which won’t help.

The stand-out window in the whole 16-day run looks to be around Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd. On the Saturday, the swell pushes to 5ft in the morning and 5ft in the afternoon with a period of 8 seconds and combined energy of 268 and 298 – that’s moderate and building. But the real jump shows up on Sunday the 23rd: swell goes to 5ft with a 10-second period, and you’re looking at a strong combined energy of 472. That's proper. The wind is still cross-onshore out of the North, which will keep a bit of bump, but for the first time the swell has some presence. Now, 5ft is getting up there – it’s not beginner friendly – and the 10-second period should give it a better wave shape, but with the wind direction not being clean offshore, it won’t be perfect. If you’re a competent surfer who can handle a bit of chop, that Sunday (23rd of August) is the best shot. The NNW wind on Sunday afternoon is, at least, more cross than onshore, which is a minor win.

After that, Monday the 24th drops back to 5ft and Tuesday the 25th stays similar, but the wind stays cross-on and the period goes back to 8-9 seconds. By Wednesday the 26th, the wind is fresh again at 19 mph. It’s not great.

Bottom line: if you really want to paddle out, aim for Sunday the 23rd. It’s the best of a pretty flat run. Otherwise, I’d sit this one out and wait for a better window.

Rusty

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