The Fort Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, let’s be straight with you. The next couple of weeks at The Fort are looking pretty grim for a decent paddle. I’ve scanned the whole 16-day window and there just isn’t a proper swell rolling in with any kind of quality. We’re looking at a whole lot of small, short-period junk with cross-shore winds messing it up. There’s a serious dry spell here, so don’t get your hopes up for anything epic.

The first week is basically a write-off. From Thursday the 10th right through to the following Thursday the 17th, we’ve got nothing but poor surf conditions. The swell is small, hovering around 1ft to 5ft, and the period is mostly short, under 10 seconds, which means weak and messy waves. The winds are almost constantly cross or cross-on, which will leave the surface chopped up and lumpy. Combined swell energy stays in the low to mid hundreds, which is weak. There’s a bit of a bump on Sunday the 13th afternoon, with a 5ft swell from the WNW, but it’s only 6 seconds and it’s blowing 22 mph cross. That’s not surf, that’s a washing machine.

The second week doesn’t offer much more hope. From the 18th to the 25th, we’re stuck in the same pattern. The swell remains small, mostly 2ft to 3ft, and while we see some longer period swells come in from the SW, around 15 to 19 seconds, they never have any size to back them up. These long-period groundswells are great in theory, but with next to no energy, they’ll just be rolling through flat. The wind stays cross-shore for most of it, so it’ll remain crumbly and uninviting.

Keep an eye on Sunday the 20th afternoon though. That’s the one beacon of interest. The swell jumps to 6ft from the NW with a 10-second period, and the combined energy shoots up to 1101, which is strong. The wind is only a gentle cross-shore, so it might clean up a bit. But it’s a far-off call, so treat it as promising but not certain. Even then, it’s still marginal. The Fort is a consistent reef, and for an intermediate surfer, anything over 8ft is only for experts. This 6ft is on the bigger side for the week, but the quality looks questionable. Don't expect perfection.

Let’s talk about the water. The first surf I’d even consider mentioning is on the 11th. The water temp is 59° which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there. On the 20th, when we get that bump, the water temp is still around 59°.

Bottom line, it’s a tough stretch. If you see some waves, you might get lucky with a clean one, but mostly it’s going to be small and lumpy. The Fort itself is a reef break, so it might hold some shape even with the small swell, but the winds are going to be the killer.

Rusty.

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