The Fort Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’m gonna be straight with you – the next 16 days at The Fort are a real mixed bag, and honestly, mostly a frustrating one. We’ve got a lot of poor surf conditions and marginal windows, but there’s one session that really stands out as the pick of the bunch. The water’s sitting at 54°F which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so don’t forget the booties.

Right now, we’re looking at a solid run of average to poor conditions. Saturday the 1st and Sunday the 2nd have swell around 5ft to 6ft from the WNW, but the wind is all over the place – cross-shore breezes up to 22 mph have got the surface chopped up and lumpy. The combined wave energy is moderate (653 and 556), but the short 8-second period means the waves are weak and messy. Not worth paddling out for.

Monday the 3rd morning offers a tiny glimmer – a 4ft WNW swell with a light 3 mph onshore wind from the SW. The combined energy drops to 337 (moderate), but the period is a touch better at 10 seconds. The forecast calls it “marginal,” and honestly, the tide might be playing games. You could get a sneaky one, but it’s a gamble.

From Tuesday the 4th through to Saturday the 8th, we’re in a proper flat spell. Swell sizes drop below 3ft, with the combined energy falling into the weak range (as low as 150). The wind is mostly light or slight, but the waves are just not there. It’s a real desert.

Then things start to wake up. Sunday the 9th morning sees a 4ft WNW swell with a 11-second period, and the combined energy jumps back to 462 (moderate). The wind is light cross-onshore from the SSW, so it’s still a bit choppy, but it’s a step up. The afternoon is similar, but still marginal.

Monday the 10th is the day to circle on your calendar. Monday afternoon, we get a 8ft NW swell with a 10-second period, and the combined energy absolutely fires up to 1992 (strong). The wind goes glassy – light 3 mph onshore from the SW – and the wave comment is marginal, but this is the biggest energy spike of the whole forecast. That’s a solid 8ft, so it’s pushing into the intermediate zone – keep the beginners on the beach. The direction is NW, which is a good match for The Fort’s optimum SW direction, so it should wrap in nicely. The crowds? The Fort can get busy sometimes, but with that size and clean conditions, it’ll be worth sharing the peak.

After that, it tapers off again. Tuesday the 11th to Sunday the 16th sees a mix of small WNW and SW swells, mostly under 5ft, with combined energy ranging from 269 to 765 (moderate). The wind stays light to gentle, but the periods are short (8-9 seconds) or very long (16-19 seconds). That long-period groundswell (18-19 seconds) on the 13th, 14th, and 15th is interesting – it’ll bring some energy (604-765), but it’s a long-period swell, which can make the reef break a bit straight and tricky. The wind is mostly cross or cross-on, so it’s not clean enough to really get excited about.

So, bottom line: the standout is Monday the 10th afternoon. That 8ft NW swell with light wind and strong energy is the one to chase. The rest of the window is mostly marginal or poor, with a long flat patch from the 4th to the 8th. Don’t hold your breath for the second week – it’s all small and messy with a few long-period pulses that might be better for the reefs than the beach.

Rusty.

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