Stockton Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a bit of a slow burner on our hands at Stockton Beach for this outlook. The good news is there’s some clean, glassy windows in the first week, but you’ll need to pick your moments. The second week is a write-off with strong winds and messy energy, so don’t hold your breath past the 11th.

The first real window opens up Thursday morning, September 3rd. The swell is tiny at 2 ft from the south, with a period of 10 seconds. The water temperature is sitting at 65°F, which is pretty much average for this time of year. Winds are a light offshore westerly at 9 mph, so the surface will be clean. It’s surfable, but only just – combined energy is weak at 77, so you’ll be on a log chasing ankle-biters.

The standout of the whole forecast is Friday morning, September 4th. It’s glassy – light SW winds at 3 mph – with a solid 3 ft south swell rolling in at a nice 12-second period. That’s a proper groundswell pulse, and the combined energy jumps to 255 (moderate). The waves will have some push and shape to them, and with the glassy conditions, it’s going to be clean and fun. This is your best bet by a long shot. Crowds can be possible here, so get in early.

Saturday and Sunday are a write-off – the wind swings around and the swell drops back to under 3 ft with short periods (6-8 seconds) and messy cross-shore winds. Not worth paddling out.

Monday morning, September 7th brings another chance. A clean NNW offshore breeze at 3 mph with 4 ft south swell at 9 seconds. The energy is back up to 236. It’s not as clean as Friday, but it’s a solid, rideable wave with light winds.

Tuesday the 8th, the swell pumps up to 7 ft from the SSE, but with a short period of 8 seconds and strong energy of 570. The problem is it’s too big for this break – the wind and tide aren’t aligned, and it’s going to be a washing machine. That’s for experts only, and even then, it’s a gamble.

Thursday the 10th has another big spike – 7 ft to 7 ft south swell with massive energy readings (1224 and 2406). The wind is cross-offshore and clean, but again, it’s way too big. Only experienced crew should even look at it.

Friday morning, September 11th is the last real highlight. A clean 6 ft south-southeast swell with a 12-second period, light WSW winds at 6 mph. The energy is 984 – strong. That’s a powerful, clean groundswell, but it’s big, so it’s for intermediate-to-advanced surfers. After that, the swell fades, and by the 13th you’re back to tiny 2 ft glassy waves with a very long 16-second period – beautiful to look at but not much push.

From the 14th onward, the wind blows hard – up to 25 mph offshore – and the swell is either too small or too junky. The setups look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Save your energy for that Friday morning session.

Stay keen, Rusty.

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