Stela Maris Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, mate, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s on offer. Straight up, I gotta be honest with you – we’re looking at a pretty grim stretch ahead. The next couple of weeks are dominated by a persistent onshore flow and messy, short-period wind chop. The water temp is sitting at 79°F with a 2°F anomaly, so it’s pretty much normal for this time of year, nothing to write home about, but it’s fine for a paddle.

The only break that’s even on the radar here is Stela Maris (Stela-Maris), and it’s a consistent, intermediate-level spot that’s well-exposed to swell. Thing is, the swell we’re getting is mostly from the southeast and east, which is a long way off its optimum direction from the south. The result is a whole lot of junky, weak surf.

Looking at the run, the first real chance is on Friday, 14th August, with a 2ft south swell wrapping in at 15 seconds. That’s a long period groundswell, and the energy is moderate (410). The wind is light and onshore from the ESE, so it’ll be a bit bumpy, but it’s the only decent quality swell direction we see. The morning of Saturday, 15th, is similar, with a 3ft south swell, still at 13 seconds (364 energy), but again, it’s onshore. The afternoon has a shift to an ESE swell, but it’s still small and messy.

From Sunday, 16th, through to the end of the second week, the pattern is pretty poor. The swell stays small, mostly under 5ft, with short periods of 6 to 8 seconds, and the wind is almost always onshore or cross-onshore, often moderate to fresh. The energy drops off significantly, from a moderate 618 on Sunday morning down to weak numbers like 47 and 60 by the 22nd and 23rd. There’s a brief uptick around Wednesday, 26th August, with a 5ft easterly swell (262 energy) and a lighter cross-onshore breeze, but it’s still marginal.

Honestly, the standout session, if you can call it that, is the early morning of Friday, 14th August. The south swell is the only one with real direction and a long period, and the light breeze is the best of a bad bunch. It’s not great, but it’s the only thing that’s even worth a look. The rest of the 16 days is a write-off for a proper surf. The conditions are so poor for most of the run, with bumpy, choppy, or lumpy wind, that this setup might actually be more interesting for the kite surfers than paddle surfers.

That’s the story, mate. Keep your eyes on the forecasts, but don’t hold your breath.

Rusty.

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