The groyne Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are going to test your patience. The swell is gonna show up, but the wind is going to be a proper pain in the backside for most of it. We’re looking at a stretch where you gotta pick your moments, and even then, you’ll be working for it. The good news is, the water is running a bit cooler than usual for this time of year, so a steamer might not be a bad idea.

We start our forecast with a real tease. Friday morning at The groyne has some clean, surfable waves rolling in. We’re talking about 3ft of east swell with a short, 8-second period, and the combined energy is a weak 98. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the south, so the surface is clean. It’s not going to blow your mind, but it’s the best-looking surf we’ll see for a while. The water temperature here is 68°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year.

The rest of the weekend and into the start of next week is a write-off. The wind swings onshore and cross-onshore, chopping up the small, weak swell. Saturday has some 3ft east-northeast swell but it's messy. Sunday morning offers a brief moment of glassy conditions with 3ft east swell and a combined energy of 198, but it’s just not enough to get excited about, and it gets blown out by the afternoon. From Monday through to the following Saturday, we’re looking at a long stretch of poor surf. The swell stays small, mostly under 3ft, and the wind keeps mucking it up. There’s a chance for a clean wave on Monday afternoon with a 2ft swell and a moderate offshore wind, but it’s skinny. Then again on Wednesday morning with 2ft, but the wind is up. This is a real flat, bumpy patch.

Now, here’s where things get interesting and a little wild. From Sunday the 16th, the swell starts to build, but so does the wind. We see a jump in energy to 247 on Sunday afternoon as the swell comes up to 6ft, but it’s short-period and lumpy. This is followed by a proper push of energy into the middle of the following week. The combined energy values get up into the strong range – hitting 1105 on the morning of Tuesday the 18th – but it's all wrapped up in a nasty, stormy package. The wind is blowing fresh from the southeast at 15-19 mph, making it cross-onshore and choppy. The swell is big, reaching 7ft, but with a short period and that wind, it’s going to be a washing machine. This setup looks a lot more interesting for the kite surfers than for anyone wanting to paddle out on a surfboard. The forecast is for rain and even a possible thunderstorm, so it's going to be a wild, messy week. By the time we get to the 22nd, the swell backs down to around 3-4ft, but the onshore wind is relentless, keeping everything messy.

So here’s the deal. The only real standout is that Friday morning right at the start. It’s not big, but it’s clean, which is more than we can say for the rest of the run. For everything else, you’re really just looking at a lot of blown-out, stormy surf. It’s a grim outlook, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Keep your eye on the charts, because forecasts can change, but right now, the surfboard might be staying in the car for a while.

Rusty.

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