Takegashima Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Looking at the charts for the next couple of weeks, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got a long spell of pretty ordinary, small surf, but the back half of the window has some serious potential. Water temp is around 83°, which is a touch warmer than usual, but nothing wild.

The first run of days is pretty flat-out boring. From Wednesday the 19th right through to Monday the 24th, it's dribbling in. Ankle to waist-high at best, with a lot of that weak, short-period energy from the ESE. The combined energy is weak, under 100 (82, 85, 68, 45, 25, 54, 30). Mornings are glassy but there’s just no push. It’s a long, drawn-out gap of nothing to get excited about.

The first real sign of life shows up on the afternoon of Monday the 24th. The swell jumps a little to 3ft but, more importantly, the period stretches out to a long 16 seconds from the SE. The combined energy bumps up to a moderate 462. It’s a groundswell, which is nice, but it’s small. The following Tuesday, the 25th, the swell builds to a solid 7ft from the SE with that same long period, and the energy jumps to a strong 2189. But the wind is on it, coming from the E as a cross-on. It’s a big step up from nothing, but the quality is questionable.

Now, Wednesday the 26th is the standout, no question. The swell is pumping – 13ft in the morning from the SSE with a 17-second period. The combined energy is a massive 10407. This is not for the faint of heart. This is well over the 8ft mark, so it’s strictly for the experts. Takegashima (Big Island) is a reef, so this sort of long-period, straight-up SSE swell will light it up. The morning wind is light but onshore. In the afternoon it gets a touch bigger, 15ft, but the wind swings more cross-on and it gets choppy. If you are an expert, be ready for a serious paddle. The energy drops a bit on Thursday the 27th, with 18ft on the morning but heavy rain and a strong onshore wind from the NE. That’s going to be wild and messy. This is looking more like a day for the kite surfers. It stays big but deteriorates through the end of the week, with the swell dropping from 11ft on Friday the 28th down to 5ft by Saturday the 29th.

The first of September brings in another pulse. Tuesday the 1st looks promising, with swell hitting 10ft from the SE with a 15-second period, and solid energy in the 4000s. The morning shows 8ft with a nice clean cross-off wind from the S. Then on Wednesday the 2nd, the swell backs off to a very manageable 5ft from the S with a 12-second period. The morning is glassy, absolutely glassy, making it look like a great one for a mid-week paddle. It’s much smaller and cleaner, a proper reward after the chaos.

So, the story is simple. You’ve got about five days of nothing, then a little blip, then the big, angry Wednesday the 26th which is only for the most experienced. The real gem is the morning of Wednesday the 2nd of September. It’s a much better size, the conditions are glassy, and the swell is from a good direction. It’s a bit far out, so we can’t be 100% sure, but it’s got all the makings of a classic.

Right, that’s all from me.

Rusty

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