The Fort Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with it – the next couple of weeks at The Fort ain’t looking like anything to write home about. It’s a reef break, pretty exposed to the swell, but the wind’s gonna be a constant issue for most of this run. The water’s sitting at 55°, which is 3° colder than usual for this time of year – a fair bit nippier than you’d expect, so you’ll want a good wetsuit and some booties.

We kick off on Monday the 3rd of August, but don’t get excited. Morning has a weak 4ft swell out of the WNW at a short 10 seconds, combined energy’s sitting at 342 (moderate), and while the wind’s light and blowing from the SW (onshore), it’s not enough to save it. The wave comment calls it marginal, and I’d agree – it’s a bit of a battle for not much reward. That afternoon goes to clear skies, but the wind swings WNW at 6 mph, turning cross-onshore, dropping the swell to 3ft and energy to 267. Small and choppy. No good.

Tuesday the 4th and Wednesday the 5th are a write-off. Tuesday morning has 3ft at a short 8 seconds from the WNW, with a stronger SSE cross-onshore breeze at 9 mph. Energy’s down to 206 and 198. The report calls it poor, and it is – messy, small, and wind-affected. Wednesday is even smaller, with 1ft from the SW, though the period stretches out to 14 seconds. Energy’s a weak 122 and 146, but winds are cross-onshore again. That long-period groundswell could’ve been promising at a reef, but with that tiny height and messy wind, it’s not happening.

Thursday the 6th through Sunday the 9th is a slow grind of marginal-to-poor conditions. Swells stay under 3ft through Thursday and Friday, with periods up to 18 seconds on Friday (very long groundswell), but energy’s moderate at best (210 to 377). Winds are light to gentle and mainly cross-onshore or cross-shore. Saturday the 8th sees a bump in size – morning shows 5ft from the WNW at a short 8 seconds, energy hits 561 (moderate to strong), but the wind is W at 6 mph cross-onshore, keeping it messy. That afternoon jumps to 6ft but period drops to a weak 6 seconds and the wind picks up to 16 mph cross-shore – that’s a lumpy, choppy mess, and for a reef it’s only on for experts at that size.

Sunday the 9th afternoon is the closest thing to a standout in this whole outlook. We get 6ft from the WNW, period 10 seconds, and combined energy jumps to 1148 (strong). But the wind is WNW at 9 mph cross-onshore, which puts a chop on it. It’s the biggest swell of the whole run, and the energy is proper, but the wind just won’t let it be clean. If you’re an experienced surfer and you can handle some texture, there’s something there, but it’s not the pristine session we’d all love.

From Monday the 10th through to the end of the outlook, it’s a slow fade. Swells drop back to 1ft to 4ft, periods vary, but energy stays moderate (270 to 515). Winds are light to gentle, mostly cross-onshore or onshore, and the wave comments keep calling it marginal or poor. There’s a gap of several days here where nothing really comes together – the last real shot was that Sunday the 9th afternoon. After that, it’s a long slog of small, weak, or wind-affected slop. Not a single day in the second week stands out as a recommendation.

Bottom line: The Fort has one moment – Sunday afternoon the 9th of August – where the swell and energy are there, but the wind mucks it up. Otherwise, it’s a lean run. For a reef that works best with clean offshore winds, this pattern is a bust. If you’re desperate, maybe check the kiting options on the windy, lumpy days, but for a paddle surfer, I’d sit this one out.

Rusty.

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