Strand (Pipe) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s going down at Strand (Pipe). The next couple weeks are a real mixed bag—some solid juice early, then a dry spell that’ll have you rearranging your fin collection.

This Friday morning, the 7th, we’ve got serious energy. Water temp is about normal for the season. Swell’s a chunky 7ft from the SSW with a long 15-second period, and the combined energy is strong at 1911. Dead calm, glassy—this is as good as it gets for experienced surfers. Leave the beginners on the beach; this is pushing their limits.

Friday arvo bumps up a touch to 8ft, but a light cross-onshore breeze puts a few ripples on it. Still okay, but the morning was the one. Saturday the 8th drops to 6ft, but cross-shore winds and light rain make it messy. By Saturday afternoon, it’s bigger at 8ft but the cross-chop is a pain. Sunday the 9th is a standout for size—12ft from the SW with a 12-second period, energy pumping at 5054. But with 30 km/h cross-off winds, it’s clean yet strictly expert territory. Not for the faint-hearted.

Monday the 10th steps down to 6-6ft with moderate cross-off breezes. Surfable but nothing special. Then Tuesday the 11th brings some magic in the morning: 6ft from the south at 12 seconds, light offshore wind, clean conditions. Energy is moderate at 869, but the quality is there. Tuesday arvo is smaller, glassy, and fun at 3ft.

Now here’s where it gets interesting. Wednesday the 12th and Thursday the 13th deliver the pick of the week besides that Friday morning burst. Swell drops to 4ft, but it’s a long-period SW groundswell at 17-18 seconds. Proper groundswell—clean, glassy, and lined up. Energy is moderate at 1021-1174, but the wave shape will be worth more than the numbers. This is point-break style surfing, so watch for long, clean walls. This is where the experienced crew will be having a field day.

After that, things fade. From the 14th through the 16th, we’ve got a stretch of small, weak waves. Energy drops into the low hundreds, and it’s mostly marginal or poor. Sunday the 16th is particularly rough—only 3ft and choppy. This is the start of a bit of a blank run, a few days where you’re better off in the shed.

We get a little pulse back around Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th with 4-5ft SSW swells, but energy is weak—around 519-597. Glassy conditions on Monday make it a fun, small-wave day, but nothing to get excited about. The rest of the second week fades out into the 20th and 21st, with mostly knee-to-waist high dribble.

The 21st and 22nd are a write-off: strong winds, messy, choppy, and short-period junk. Friday the 21st has 45 km/h cross-onshore winds and a 6-second period—that’s a complete mess, better for kites than surfboards.

So the real standout here is Friday the 7th morning for the experienced crew, and that Wednesday-Thursday stretch on the 12th and 13th for some quality, clean groundswell. Everything else is either too big, too grovelly, or just plain blown out. Get on it early.

Rusty.

Read more