The Core Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. The Core is the only show in town for the next couple weeks, and it’s got a bit of a split personality. We’ve got a run of small, onshore junk to start, then a beautiful window of clean, powerful groundswell. After that, it gets messy and big again.

First up, Saturday the 22nd and Sunday the 23rd are pretty much a write-off. Tiny, weak swell – you’re looking at energy levels of just 53 and 15 on Saturday, and a bit of a jump on Sunday but with cross-shore winds. The waves are small and messy, with a cross-onshore breeze. Not worth paddling out for.

Monday the 24th gets interesting, but not for the faint of heart. The swell jumps to 12 ft from the ESE, with a combined energy of 1953 – that’s a lot of power. But the report says it’s too big for this break, and we’ve got a moderate cross-shore chop. That’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session unless you’re a real charger. The afternoon drops to 8 ft but the conditions are still marginal.

Now, here’s the real highlight. Tuesday the 25th is the one to circle. The Core lights up. We’ve got a 7 ft to 7 ft east swell, and the period? 17 seconds. That’s a very long period groundswell, which will mean proper, powerful lines. The best part? Glassy conditions. The wind goes glass on Tuesday morning and holds through the afternoon. The energy is huge – 2643 and 3110 – and the report calls it “excellent surf for experienced surfers.” This is a standout session. The swell direction is east, and the optimum for this spot is NE, so it’s a good match. The only caveat is that with a period this long, the waves might rake a bit too fast at the beach, but with glassy conditions, it’ll be a dream. Expect a crowd – it’s “sometimes” busy, but for a session like this, it’ll be worth it.

Wednesday the 26th still has some quality. The morning is a bit cross-on, but the afternoon gets glassy again. The swell drops to 6 ft with a 13-second period and energy of 1186. Still good for experienced surfers, but not as perfect as Tuesday.

Thursday the 27th morning is glassy with a 5 ft, 12-second swell from the NE. Energy is 713. The report says “expect very good surf conditions.” That’s a solid session, but the afternoon gets a bit funky with an onshore wind.

From Friday the 28th onward, things start to fade. The swell drops, the wind goes cross-on, and the energy falls off. By Saturday the 29th, it’s back to tiny, weak junk. There’s a gap of poor surf from the 29th through the 31st, with small, weak swells and cross-on winds.

Then, into the first week of September, the swell builds again, but it’s not pretty. The wind is onshore or cross-on, and the swell is big – 7 ft to 8 ft – but with moderate to strong onshore winds, it’s going to be choppy and blown out. The energy is there (1300 to 2171), but the quality is poor. This is another stretch that’s more for the wind sports crew. The Core is exposed, and with the wind howling from the north, it’ll be a mess.

So, the absolute standout is Tuesday the 25th of August. Get on it if you can. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing unusual. The second best window is the glassy periods on the 26th and 27th.

Stay salty,
Rusty

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