Dunedin - St Clair Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, gather 'round. Rusty here, looking at the Dunedin – St Clair stretch for the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, but there are some proper windows for a paddle if you play it smart.

The water's sitting at 51°F, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, so that’s a bit of a bonus.

We’re kicking off on Tuesday, the 18th of August, but honestly, you can give it a miss. The swell is there, 8ft from the SSW, but that strong cross-shore wind has it all chopped out. Combined wave energy is high at 1106, but it’s not doing us any favours. It’s not really a surfer’s session.

Wednesday the 19th looks bigger but no better. The swell pushes up again, 7ft to 8ft from the S and SSW, but it’s too big for this break and the wind is all wrong. Not the one.

Thursday the 20th calms down to 5ft from the S, but it’s still messy. The morning is cross-shore and lumpy, and the afternoon has a light cross-onshore breeze. It’s marginal at best, not worth getting too excited about.

Now, here’s a little glimmer. Friday morning, the 21st of August. The wind swings around to a light offshore from the NNW at just 3 mph. The swell drops to a clean 4ft from the S, with a period of 11 seconds. It’s not huge, but the conditions are clean. The wave energy is a modest 302, but with that offshore wind, it’s your best bet for a fun little session this week.

The weekend is tiny. Saturday the 22nd has waves around 2ft, and Sunday the 23rd sees the swell jump back up to 7ft from the SSW, but it’s blowing a fresh 22 mph cross-offshore. It’s clean but big, and likely too much for this break again.

The following week gets interesting. Monday the 25th of August has a solid 8ft SSW swell with a 14-second period and a clean cross-offshore wind from the W. The energy is pumping at 2722, and it’s clean, but the size means it’s really only for the experienced crew.

The real standout might be Wednesday morning, the 26th of August. The swell drops to a much friendlier 6ft from the S, with a 12-second period. The wind is a glassy light offshore from the NW at just 3 mph. Combined energy is a moderate 990, and the conditions are looking very good indeed. That’s the session you want to circle on the calendar.

After that, the end of August and into September gets messy again with some big swells, but also some more clean windows. Saturday the 29th of August has a 5ft SW swell in the morning with light offshore winds, looking very good. And then Sunday afternoon the 30th of August looks glassy with 5ft from the SSW and zero wind. That’s a proper treat.

Into September, Tuesday morning the 1st of September has a clean 7ft S swell with a gentle offshore from the NW. It’s clean but again, size is pushing it for the average punter.

So, to sum it up: this week, the standout is Friday morning, the 21st of August for the clean, small waves. Next week, lock in Wednesday morning, the 26th of August for the best all-round conditions. The big swells are there, but you’ll need the experience to handle them.

Rusty.

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