Shooting Gallery Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it for Shooting Gallery. This reef setup is our only recommendation in the window, and we’re looking at a long, frustrating stretch of messy surf.

The first swell we see arrives on Monday, August 24th, with some NNW groundswell hitting about 6ft and a period of 12 seconds. That’s got some decent energy behind it (combined energy of 944), and it's a long-period groundswell, which can really shape up well at a reef like this. But the problem is the wind. It’s onshore from the NE at 9 mph, and while it’s light, it’s spoiling what could be a beautiful wave. This spot is fairly exposed to the swell, and it consistently goes best with a NNW direction, so the direction is good—but the wind just kills it.

From that point, it’s a grim run. We’ve got a solid 10 days where the conditions are just poor. Tuesday the 25th through to Wednesday the 3rd of September is all messy cross-onshore winds, with a mix of moderate to fresh breezes, and later on the 2nd we even get a strong breeze cranking at 25 mph, making it a total mess. The swell hangs around between 3ft and 7ft, but with the wind so wrong, it’s just a lumpy, choppy nightmare. Not a single session worth paddling out for in that stretch.

The only faint glimmer we see comes right at the end of the window, on Monday afternoon, September 7th and Tuesday morning, September 8th. On the 7th, the swell is still 5ft from the N (period 10 seconds), and we get a "cross" wind from the NNW, which isn't ideal but less bad than what came before. The energy is still solid at 667, but it's only a *marginal* call, likely due to the tide. Then on Tuesday the 8th, the wind drops right back to a light breeze at 6 mph from the N, with a 4ft N swell, period 9 seconds. It’s the cleanest-looking window, with cross-onshore wind so light it’s almost glassy, and the energy is low (421), but the lack of wind chop could at least make it rideable.

Overall, there’s no standout session here. The best bet is that last little window on Tuesday morning, September 8th, but only if you’re desperate and the tide plays nice. For the rest of it? Honestly, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, especially when that wind is howling. Keep an eye on it, but don’t hold your breath.

This is Rusty, signing off.

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