Southerndown Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's get into it. Rusty here, and I've got the scoop on Southerndown.

First off, the water is sitting at 68°F – that's a full 7°F warmer than normal for this time of year, which is seriously unusual. You'll be in boardies or a very thin suit for sure.

Looking at the whole 16-day run, I have to be straight with you – it's a tough stretch. There's a long, frustrating gap of poor conditions right from the start. From Tuesday, the 1st of September, all the way through to the morning of Friday the 11th, we're looking at a solid 10 days where the surf is basically a write-off. The wind is almost constantly cross-onshore or onshore, the swell is short-period, choppy junk, and the quality is just not there.

The only real glimmer of hope, and I mean the only one worth paddling out for in this whole window, comes on the morning of Friday, the 11th of September. We finally get a break in the weather. The wind swings around to a light ESE cross-offshore breeze, cleaning things right up. The swell is a modest 4ft from the WSW, with a period of 8 seconds, and the combined energy is moderate at 181. It's not going to be huge, but it will be surfable and clean. The conditions will be ordinary, but after so much chop, a clean 4ft wave feels like a gift. This is a beginner-friendly break, so the size is perfect. It's fairly consistent, but it can get crowded here sometimes, so get in early.

Later that same afternoon, the wind stays light and cross-off, but the swell drops to 3ft (92 energy), so the morning is definitely the call.

After that little window, the following week is a mixed bag of clean but tiny surf (1.0ft to 1ft) with strong offshore winds, or more onshore junk. It’s just not worth chasing until we get to Monday, the 14th of September. That morning we see a spike of 4ft swell from the WSW with a 9-second period, and a solid 430 combined energy, but the wind is a stiff E cross-off at 19 mph. It's going to be clean, but that's a strong breeze. It’s more of a windswell, so it could be a bit raw and blown-out feeling despite being clean.

Then, the morning of Tuesday the 15th of September is a repeat of the 11th – light ESE cross-off wind, 4ft swell, 9-second period, 227 energy. Again, surfable but ordinary. The afternoon turns to onshore junk again.

So, to sum it up: there is one standout morning. Friday, the 11th of September, first light. Get down to Southerndown for a clean, waist-to-chest high session before the crowds roll in. Everything else in this 16-day forecast is a gamble or a straight-up miss.

Rusty.

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