Shooting Gallery Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

To be straight with you, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for getting a decent wave. We’re staring down a long stretch of poor surf conditions, with the only real glimmer of hope coming right at the end of the first week. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, and the swell is coming in with short, weak periods that just aren’t building any quality.

For the first week, from the 7th of September right through to the morning of the 14th, it’s a write-off. The wind is consistently from the north or north-northeast, blowing straight on or cross-onshore, making everything choppy and lumpy. The swell is mostly under 3 ft, with periods around 7 or 8 seconds, so it’s weak and disorganised. The combined energy is low, mostly sitting between 117 and 369. Don’t bother paddling out.

The first real chance, and it’s a slim one, comes on the morning of Monday the 14th. Shooting Gallery (a reef break) could see a little window of clean surf. The wind swings to a light west-northwest, which is cross-offshore, and the swell straightens up a bit. We’re looking at 2 ft from the NNW with a 13-second period. That’s a proper groundswell, and the combined energy sits at 203 (moderate). The water is a touch warmer than normal at 75°. It’s surfable, but it’s ordinary. The swell is small, and the break is fairly exposed, so it’ll be inconsistent. If you’re desperate, you might get a couple of clean ones, but don’t expect much.

After that, it’s back to the grind. From the afternoon of the 14th all the way through to the 22nd of September, the wind goes back to being onshore or cross-onshore, and the swell stays small and weak. The waves get a little bigger, hitting 5 ft to 5 ft by the 12th and 18th, but with a period of just 7 or 8 seconds and the wind ruining it, it’s just a messy, choppy wall. The combined energy climbs to 442 (moderate) and 329 (moderate) on those days, but it’s all for nothing. The waves are too short-period and the wind is all wrong.

To be honest, this is a blank run. There’s no standout session in the whole 16-day window. The only thing that’s even close is that Monday morning on the 14th, and even then, it’s barely a blip on the radar. The combination of persistent onshore winds and weak, short-period swell means this spot is a no-go for paddle surfing. If you’re into kite surfing, the setup on the 12th and 18th with the 5 ft swell and strong cross-onshore winds (15-18 mph) could be more interesting, but for a surfboard, it’s a hard pass.

Hang in there, it tends not to stay this poor for long, but for now, the forecast is locked in.

Rusty.

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