Southerndown Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the forecast for Southerndown.

Honestly, mate, the outlook for the next couple of weeks is a tough one. The water’s a toasty 69°F, which is 8°F warmer than usual for the time of year – a full 8°F warmer, so that’s very unusual. But the surf just isn't playing ball for a long, long stretch.

We’re starting off flat and uninspiring. From Wednesday the 29th right through to the end of the first week, it’s a write-off. We’ve got tiny swell, never getting above 3ft, and the wind is almost always cross-onshore from the west, making for choppy, lumpy, and generally poor conditions. The few moments of cleaner wind are on tiny, weak waves. There’s a glimmer on Sunday the 2nd of August morning with a light easterly cross-off and some glassy conditions on the Sunday afternoon, but the swell is only 1.0ft, with weak energy (13-14 on the scale). Not enough to get excited about. This whole first week is a gap of around 9 days with no real recommendation.

That changes a bit as we get towards the end of the second week. On Friday the 7th of August, the swell finally arrives. We’re seeing a proper pulse from the WSW, building from 5ft in the morning with a moderate energy reading (207) up to 6ft in the afternoon with a strong energy (547). The period is around 7 to 9 seconds, so it’s windswell, a bit junky. The problem is the wind – it’s a cross-onshore from the west again, so it’s going to be a messy, choppy affair. That makes it one for experienced surfers only if you’re desperate for a paddle.

The closest we get to a proper window is early on Saturday the 8th of August. The swell is still solid at 4ft from the WSW (period 8 secs, energy 211), but things get cleaner. The wind swings to the east, then ESE, giving us a cross-off with a light breeze. Conditions go clean. The wave comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions,” but compared to the rest of this outlook, this is the standout. The swell direction from the WSW is exactly what Southerndown needs for a good setup. The morning of Saturday the 8th of August with that clean cross-off is the best we’ve got. It’s not epic, but it’s ridable. After that, it fades back down into tiny stuff.

Given the long run of poor conditions and the fact that even the bigger swell is messed up by the wind, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing for most of the period. But if you have to get wet, make it the morning of Saturday the 8th of August.

Rusty.

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