Shooting Gallery Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a good hard look at what’s coming up for Shooting Gallery. I’ll be straight with you—this is a rough stretch.

The whole 16-day window is a tough one for this reef. The pattern is basically the same: persistent cross-onshore winds and a lot of chop. There’s no real standout session, nothing that’s going to get the heart racing. The water is sitting at a touch warmer than normal for the time of year, about 75°, which is a bit of a novelty but not enough to save the surf.

We start on Friday, 21 August, with a weak 4ft swell from the north at a short 6 seconds. Combined energy is only 158, so it’s pretty weak. Wind is a moderate cross-onshore, and the wave comment says it all: poor surf conditions. That carries right through Saturday and Sunday morning. Sunday afternoon sees a bit of a lift with the swell bumping to 4ft from the NNW and a longer 14-second period, pushing the combined energy to 825. But the wind goes cross-shore, and the report still calls it marginal. It’s a tease, but the chop is real.

Monday, 24 August, through to Wednesday, 26 August, is a bleak run of poor surf. The swell stays around 4ft to 6ft, but the wind is always a cross-onshore, and the energy figures are moderate at best. The period is short, too. It’s just choppy, messy, and not worth paddling out for.

Thursday, 27 August, sees a fresh breeze pick up to 22 mph, with the swell pushing 6ft from the NNE. The period is still short at 7 seconds, and the energy is moderate at 370. The wind is fresh cross-onshore, lumpy—definitely not for paddle surfing. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Friday, 28 August, brings the biggest swell of the whole period: 8ft from the NNE, with a combined energy of 794. The wind is onshore, but the wave state is unknown. Still, the report says poor surf conditions. That’s over 8ft, and with the wind issues, it’s only for experts—if anyone even bothers. The same pattern continues into the first week of September: swell sizes from 3ft to 5ft, all short period, all cross-onshore, all poor. The energy drops right off, with values like 96 and 69 by the 3rd and 4th of September.

The last few days, 5 September, don’t offer any redemption. The swell is 5ft from the north, period 8 seconds, energy 307, but the wind is again cross-onshore and choppy. Nothing to write home about.

So, the honest truth: there are no good surf options in this 16-day window for Shooting Gallery. It’s a blank run, and for this area, that’s not unusual when the wind sets in from the north. The reef is fairly exposed, but the wind direction is just wrong the whole time. Don’t hold your breath—forecasts can change, but right now, leave the board at home.

Rusty.

Read more