Southerndown Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright. Rusty here. Let’s get one thing straight right from the off: Southerndown is the only break on the menu for this whole 16‑day window, and I gotta be honest with you—it ain’t looking great. The whole forecast period is a real struggle for waves. We’ve got a long blank stretch before anything shows up and even then, it’s all small and messy.

We start with a dry spell. Nothing on offer Saturday the 15th. Sunday the 16th? Still nothing worth paddling out for. Same for Monday the 17th, Tuesday the 18th, and Wednesday the 19th. That’s five days of flat or junk. You’re better off cleaning your board or waxing your roof racks.

Thursday the 20th brings a blip of combined swell energy (121), but the swell is only about 4 ft from the west with a short period of 7 seconds. It’s cross‑onshore with a fresh breeze—moderate cross‑onshore and choppy. The wave state is poor. Not a good time. Friday the 21st morning goes glassy with a slight air, and a 2 ft west swell (40) and a 9‑second period, but it’s still labelled as poor surf. That’s the best we get for the first week, and that’s really saying something.

After that, Saturday the 22nd through to the end of the month keeps showing tiny waves—mostly under 2 ft—with clean conditions at times thanks to offshore or cross‑off winds from the east and northeast, but the swell is just too small to get excited about. The longest period we see is 14 seconds on the 24th, but that’s for a 0.3 ft swell—basically a flat, oily lake. The water temp on the 15th was about 70°, which is about 8° warmer than normal for the time of year—really unusual and you’ll notice it, but with no surf it doesn't help much.

The one true standout here, if you can even call it that, is the morning of Friday the 21st of August. Southerndown gets a 2 ft west swell with a 9‑second period, combined energy only 40—so weak—but the wind is glassy from the southeast at about 3 mph. It’ll look pretty and clean, but you’ll be bobbing around on ankle‑slappers. This break is fairly exposed to the southwest, but the swell is coming from due west, so it’s not a perfect match. It’s a beginner spot, and at this size it’s fine for anyone, but mostly beginners.

Look, I’ll be straight—there’s nothing here that gets the blood pumping. Most of the forecast is small, short‑period windswell, and when it does get a little size the wind ruins it. A good streak of offshore winds at the end of the month—25th to the 30th—keeps conditions clean or glassy, but the swell never rises above 1 ft. You’re looking at nothing better than knee‑high, occasional thigh‑high.

For kite surfing? With the bigger, lumpy, cross‑onshore days around the 18th–20th? Maybe. For surfers? Not really.

So that’s it, mate. Southerndown has nothing worth rushing for until maybe the very end of the run, and even then it’s micro. It’s a long, flat slog for most of the 16 days. If you’re desperate, the 21st morning is the cleanest chance for a few tiny ones.

Rusty.

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