Shooting Gallery Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get straight into it.

Honestly, the next couple of weeks are a bit of a grind for our stretch of coast. We’ve got waves on the way, but the wind is going to be a constant pain in the arse for most of the run. The main issue is that onshore and cross-onshore breezes are going to make a mess of things, leaving the surface chopped up and lumpy. It’s not a total loss, but you’ll need to pick your moments and have low expectations for perfection.

Looking at Shooting Gallery, it’s consistent, but that’s about the only good thing I can say for a while. It’s a reef break, so it can handle a bit more push, but the conditions are just poor. The water temp is sitting at 75°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, so at least you won’t be freezing your arse off while you’re getting skunked. The swell is small at first, around 3ft on Tuesday afternoon, with a weak energy reading of 93. The wind is cross-on from the NNW at 9 mph, and it’s already looking choppy.

Wednesday and Thursday don't get much better. Swell pushes up to 3ft, but that NNW wind is still cross-on, and it’s bumping things up with a moderate breeze. The energy is picking up though, hitting 125 on Wednesday morning and building to 170 by Thursday. Still, the surface is going to be a mess.

Friday sees a bit more size, 4ft in the morning, but that short 7-second period means it’s going to be weak and crumbly, and the wind remains onshore. The energy is moderate at 169, but it’s not doing us any favors. The weekend kicks up a bit more swell, with Saturday morning hitting 5ft and energy jumping to 249, but the 7-second period is still rubbish, and it’s choppy.

Sunday is a bit of a tease. The morning swell drops to 3ft, but the period stretches out to 10 seconds, and the wind is straight onshore. It’s not going to be pretty, but that longer period gives it a bit more hope. The energy is solid at 239. But then the afternoon gets lumpy again with a cross-on breeze.

The following week, things start to get more interesting, size-wise, but the quality still isn’t there. By Monday the 25th, we’ve got 4ft with a fresh breeze blowing onshore at 19 mph. The energy is up to 307, so there’s some push, but it’s still messy. Tuesday and Wednesday see the wind pick up even more, up to 22 mph on Wednesday, and it’s just howling onshore. The surf is around 4ft, but it’s not going to be any fun.

Then we get a bit of a kick on Thursday the 27th. Swell jumps to 6ft in the morning. That’s a bigger swell, but that 7-second period with a strong onshore wind is going to make it a washing machine. The energy is strong at 366, but this is really not a paddle-surfing setup. With that size, the onshore wind, and the break’s reef setup, this could honestly be more interesting for the kite crew than us. It’s a bit of a mess.

Friday the 28th is similar, with 6ft and a fresh cross-onshore breeze, energy at 455. It’s powerful but rough. The weekend settles down a bit, with 5ft and moderate cross-onshore winds, but the surface is still choppy.

The best window in the whole run, and I mean the only real standout, looks like Sunday the 30th. The morning has 6ft of swell with a 9-second period and the energy is strong at 508. The wind is onshore, but it’s a moderate breeze at 12 mph. It’s not going to be glassy, but it’s the most powerful and consistent swell of the period. Still, that onshore wind is a factor. On a reef like this, that size and wind might make it challenging, but it’s the closest thing to a proper session we get.

After that, it starts to drop back down into the 5ft range to close out the month, and then fades into September with smaller, shorter-period surf.

So, bottom line: the surf is coming in pulses, but the wind is the killer. There’s no epic, clean day in this outlook. If you’re desperate, Sunday the 30th is the pick of the bunch for pure size and power, but don’t expect perfection. Everything else is mostly a battle against the chop. It looks like a lean fortnight for the paddle crew.

Rusty

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