Soup Bowl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty.

Honestly, I’ve got to be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim. We’ve got a solid run of easterly wind blowing straight into the lineup, and it’s got everything chopped up and messy. There’s no real quality on the table for a while, so if you’re itching for a wave, you might be better off doing a few odd jobs around the house.

The first few days, through to the end of August, are a write-off. The swell is small, around 4ft to 5ft, with a short, weak period of 7-8 seconds. The wind is a cross-onshore, and that’s never a good look. We’re seeing energy readings in the 261 to 433 range – that’s moderate, but it’s not doing us any favors.

Now, the first sign of something bigger arrives on Sunday the 30th. The swell bumps up to 7ft, from the ENE, with a period of 10 seconds, and the energy jumps to 844. That’s a moderate push, but the wind is still a cross-shore, and it’s going to be lumpy. Still not worth paddling out for.

The first half of next week, September 1st and 2nd, stays in that same frustrating pattern. We’ve got 5ft to 6ft of short-period ENE groundswell, but that onshore wind is just ruining any chance of a clean face. It’s going to be bumpy and hard work.

We do get a bit of a pulse on the 5th of September – another Saturday, no less. The swell pushes to 8ft from the east, but it’s still only 8 seconds, which is a short-period windswell. The energy gets up to 705, which is moderate, but the wind is cross-shore again. It’s still going to be messy.

The real problem is that there’s no good window for the entire forecast. The swell does stick around at a decent size, often over 5ft, but it’s constantly blown out by that east-northeast wind. Looking at the combined energy, it’s often in the low-to-mid 500s, which is moderate, but it’s all for nothing.

Around the 8th of September, we see the biggest swell of the period, hitting 7ft on the Tuesday morning, but the period is still just 8 seconds and the wind is howling from the east at 19 mph. It’s going to be lumpy and disorganized. This is a classic case where the size is there, but the quality is zero.

By the time we roll into the 11th of September, the wind is expected to be a strong 25 mph from the east. It’s going to be a washing machine out there. The energy is around 508, but it’s just a mess.

So, here’s the long and the short of it. For the next 16 days, we have zero good surf options. There’s nothing that scores even a 1 out of 10. The water temp is a warm 84°F with a slight positive anomaly of 0.7°F, so it’s about average for this time of year.

I know this isn’t what you want to hear. But the good news is, these long flat spells don’t usually last forever. The swell windows are there, but the wind just isn’t cooperating. Forecasts can change, and if that wind backs off, we might get a window. But as it stands, there’s nothing on offer.

Keep the boards in the car, but don’t get your hopes up. I’ll be watching the charts.

Rusty.

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