Strand (Pipe) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let's have a look at what's on the table for good old Strand (Pipe). It’s a bit of a waiting game, to be honest.

Right at the top, the water is sitting at 57°, which is notably colder than usual for this time of year, a good couple of degrees below average. So, you’ll want the thickest wetsuit you’ve got.

We’ve got a solid window of surf kicking off on Tuesday, the 18th of August. Tuesday morning is where it’s at. We’re seeing a clean 6ft SW groundswell with a 12-second period and a light cross-off breeze. The combined energy is pumping at a strong 1691, and for a spot like this, it’s in the “excellent for experienced surfers” zone. That’s the best start we get – clean lines, decent power, and not too blown out. If you can get out there Tuesday morning, do it. The afternoon holds up at 6ft but the wind picks up a knot, making it a bit more of a scramble.

Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th are still in the 5ft to 8ft range, but the wind goes cross-shore and the quality drops. It’s surfable, but messy. Thursday afternoon cleans up a bit with a cross-off breeze, but the model scores aren’t backing it as a standout.

Then we hit a real rough patch. Friday through to Sunday the 24th is mostly small, weak, and onshore. Saturday the 22nd is particularly nasty with rain showers and a strong NW wind making a complete mess of things. The swell jumps to 10ft on Saturday afternoon, but it’s crossed-up and choppy with a 13-second period – definitely only for the experienced, and even then, it’s not going to be pretty. That’s a slog.

The next real highlight doesn’t come until a full week later, Tuesday the 25th of August. This is a promising blip. We get another clean 6ft SW groundswell, but this time the period stretches out to a very long 14 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy. The wind is light and cross-off again, and the combined energy is a solid 1340. At a beach-and-reef setup like Strand, that long period might make the peaks a bit straight, but with that wind, there will be some excellent, hollow ones if you pick your peak. The afternoon session on the 25th is equally clean at 6ft.

The end of the run, from the 30th of August into the first week of September, sees more activity. The standout in that later period is Sunday, the 30th of August. You’ve got an 8ft SSW swell with a 14-second period, and the wind goes *offshore* from the East. That’s a full-on green light. It’s a big swell, 8ft, so this is for experienced crew only. The combined energy is a massive 2187. That is the biggest, cleanest window of the whole outlook, but it’s a long way off, so keep your fingers crossed. The Monday the 31st and Tuesday the 1st of September also have some glassy moments as the swell drops, so there’ll be smaller, cleaner options for the intermediates.

So, for the best of the best: Tuesday the 18th of August for the first clean pulse, and Sunday the 30th of August for the biggest, cleanest offshore swell. The rest is a mix of average and onshore slop, especially that week in between. Crowds at Strand are “sometimes,” so mid-week sessions on those standouts should be manageable.

Rusty out.

Read more