Smugglers Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this stretch is a tough one. We’ve got a fair run of poor to marginal conditions for the first week and a half, with a few small windows that’ll get your hopes up but won’t quite deliver. Keep your expectations in check.

Let’s start from the top. Saturday the 29th kicks off with a tiny 1ft SW swell, but it’s blown out by a cross-on breeze. Combined wave energy is moderate at 171, but the water is sitting at 58°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year. Not a great start.

Sunday the 30th morning sees a slight bump to 2ft from the SW, with a long 16-second period. Period that long is best for a point or reef, but we’re looking at Smugglers Cove, which is exposed and the light cross-on wind leaves it choppy. Marginal at best. Afternoon gets worse as the wind swings and picks up.

Monday the 31st and Tuesday the 1st of September are more of the same – small swell, poor wind, and the wave comment just says poor. We’re in a bit of a ditch here.

Wednesday the 2nd of September blows up. The afternoon brings a 8ft SW swell, but it comes with 25 mph cross-on wind and heavy rain. The wave energy is strong at 956, but this is a mess for a paddle surfer. For kite surfing, this setup might actually be interesting, but for a surfboard? Not worth it.

Thursday the 3rd of September afternoon is the first time we see a glimmer. 5ft from the WNW, 9-second period, and light 3 mph cross-on wind with small ripples. It’s marginal, but the combo of size and lighter breeze might give you a few if you’re desperate. Score is a 2, so keep the hopes low.

Friday the 4th is back to poor with rain and choppy winds.

Alright, now here’s the standout. Mark your calendar for Saturday the 5th of September – that morning. Smugglers Cove goes glassy. 2ft from the SW, 16-second period, with an ENE breeze at 3 mph, glassy conditions. The wave comment says “expect good surf conditions.” This is your best window. It’s not big, but it’ll be clean and rideable. The swell direction is SW, matching the optimum W direction okay for the setup. Just know that crowds are possible here sometimes.

Sunday the 6th is small and marginal again. Monday the 7th afternoon is another glassy window – 2ft from the SW, 14-second period, calm wind. Good for a log or a funboard if you’re just keen to get wet.

After that, we’ve got a mix of cross-off winds and small swells through the second week. Tuesday the 8th afternoon sees a 3ft NW swell with a moderate cross-off breeze – clean but the period drops to 10 seconds. Not a standout.

Wednesday the 9th and Thursday the 10th are small and poor.

Friday the 11th of September brings a 4ft NW swell, 9-second period, again with poor wind in the morning. The afternoon is light cross-on and marginal.

Saturday the 12th has a 4ft NW swell with a clean cross-off breeze in the morning – not bad, but nothing special.

The last real highlight is Sunday the 13th of September morning. 2ft from the SW, 14-second period, light cross-off breeze, clean. Wave comment says “expect good surf conditions.” It’s small, but it’s clean.

Overall, the pick is Saturday the 5th of September morning for the clean glass and the small, long-period groundswell. The second best is Monday the 7th afternoon for another glassy session. The rest is either blown out, too small, or too big and messy for a comfortable paddle.

Rusty.

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