Stinky Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty. Look, I’m not gonna sugar-coat it—this sixteen-day stretch for Stinky Bay is pretty grim. The only window that even gets a nod as “surfable” comes right at the end, so we’re sitting through a long dry spell first. The water’s sitting at 68°, which is a solid 4° warmer than usual for this time of year, so that’s a bit weird but not a game-changer for the lack of waves.

Let’s run through the dates. From Thursday 13th August all the way through to Friday morning 21st August, it’s just a string of poor surf conditions. Swell barely gets above 3 ft most days, with a weak combined energy that mostly sits below 100. Winds are all over the shop—cross, cross-on, cross-off—but nothing lines up to make the little knee-high stuff look appealing. You’ll see a few clean mornings, like Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th, but the swell’s tiny. Not worth waxing up.

Then on Friday morning 21st August, we finally get something worth mentioning. It’s still small—2 ft from the WNW at 8 seconds—but the wind’s light out of the north, cross-off, and it’s clean. That’s the first time the report gives a score of 1 out of 10, calling it “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” Combined energy is 69, so weak, but at least you can have a paddle. The afternoon goes back to junk.

After that, it’s dead again until Sunday 23rd August. That morning, we see a pulse of 4 ft from the west, 8-second period, and the energy jumps to 245 —that’s moderate. Winds are light out of the southeast, cross-off, and it’s clean. The call is “expect good surf conditions,” which is the best we get. Sunday afternoon bumps up to 6 ft from the west, still 8 seconds, energy up to 382, and still clean with light north winds. That’s the standout of the whole outlook. It’s not huge—6 ft is fine for most intermediates—but for Stinky Bay, it’s the best on offer.

Monday 24th August goes back to poor, with onshore wind and weak surf. Tuesday 25th has a small window Tuesday afternoon with 3 ft and clean cross-off breeze from the northeast, but the period’s a short 5 seconds, so it’ll be soft and lumpy.

The last few days, from Wednesday 26th through Friday 28th August, see some gusty offshore and cross-off winds, but the swell is mostly under 4 ft. On Friday 28th morning, there’s 6 ft WNW swell at 7 seconds with 302 energy and clean conditions, but the wind’s a near-gale northeast at 31 mph. That’s serious wind, making it hard to paddle into and messy despite the offshore direction. Not worth it unless you’re desperate and tough.

So honestly, if you want a wave, your bet is Sunday 23rd August morning through that afternoon. It’s not an epic day, but it’s the only day with decent size, clean conditions, and moderate energy. Expect the usual crowd at Stinky Bay—it’s often busy here.

Rusty.

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