Strand (Pipe) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s happening at Strand (Pipe). There’s a bit of a mixed bag over the next two weeks, but some solid windows are coming.

We kick off on Wednesday the 26th of August with a beauty of a morning. Clean 2ft SSW groundswell with a very long 16-second period and gentle offshore easterly winds. Combined swell energy is a solid 696 – that’s moderate energy and the waves will have real shape and power. Clean as a whistle. That afternoon the size jumps to 7ft but the period drops to 7 seconds, so it’s a bit of a windswell mash-up. Still clean though, with cross-offshore breeze. That one’s for experienced surfers only – 7ft is getting into expert territory.

Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th are a letdown – messy cross-on winds, marginal conditions. But Friday morning is glassy with 4ft S swell at 11 seconds. Clean, but the energy is only 347 – weak. Worth a paddle if you’re keen on small, clean walls.

Saturday the 29th and Sunday the 30th are poor. Onshore and cross-shore winds, small weak swell. Not worth getting wet.

Monday the 31st of August has a tiny window of 4ft SW swell with WSW onshore wind – not great.

Now, hold onto your boards – Tuesday the 1st of September brings a big pulse. Morning has 7ft SW swell at 15 seconds with a howling 22 mph north wind, making it messy. But the afternoon brings an 12ft SSW groundswell at 14 seconds with light westerly wind. That is a serious wall of water – combined energy is 4242 (very strong). That is expert-only territory, and the light wind should tidy it up. It could be a standout for the big-wave crew, but keep an eye on the wind shifting.

Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd have 6ft to 3ft SW swell with clean cross-offshore winds. Not huge, but clean and surfable. Friday the 4th of September is a real gem – 6ft SSE swell with glassy conditions and light offshore breeze. Energy is 573 (moderate). That’s clean and punchy – a great morning for intermediate surfers who want shape and no crowd hassle (crowds only sometimes at Strand).

After that, it fades. The second week has small, weak swells and fresh winds, with only a few clean moments. The 7th of September has 6ft SE swell with strong cross-offshore wind – clean but blown out by 22 mph. Not pleasant for paddling.

Water temp is about average for the time of year near Strand. Nothing unusual there.

Overall, the best window is the morning of Friday the 4th of September – glassy, chest-to-head high, clean SSE swell. That’s the one to point your board at. The Tuesday 1st September afternoon pulse is for experts only. Everything else is small, marginal, or windy.

Rusty

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