The groyne Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you—this stretch of coast is looking pretty average for the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a long gap of small, messy surf before anything with real power shows up, and even then, the wind is going to be a bastard. Don’t get too excited, but there is one morning worth setting the alarm for.

The swell kicks off small on Saturday the 8th, with a weak 2ft easterly swell and a cross-onshore breeze making it choppy and messy. The water is sitting at 68°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want the hood or a good chest zip. The energy is weak at 116, so it’s not doing much.

Sunday morning the 9th is your standout window. The wind drops to nothing—pure glass—and we’ve got a clean 3ft easterly swell with a 9-second period. The energy bumps up to a moderate 214, and the forecast is calling it good surf. This is the one to get out for. The groyne (The groyne) is a reef setup, so it’ll hold that shape better than a beachie. It’s fairly consistent, and with no wind, it’ll be clean. Crowds are a possibility, so get in early. After that, the wind swings around and it goes downhill fast.

From Sunday afternoon onward, it’s a run of small, weak surf. Monday the 10th has a 4ft swell but it’s short-period at 6 seconds and cross-offshore, so it’s not breaking with any power. The rest of that week is a grind: 2ft to 3ft, weak energy readings in the 50s to 100s, and mostly cross-onshore or cross winds. The 12th and 13th have clean conditions but the swell is just too tiny to be worth paddling out for. We’re looking at a several-day gap here with nothing worth recommending.

Things start to wake up around Monday the 17th. The swell jumps to 7ft, but it’s coming from the ESE with a short 6-second period, and the wind is fresh and cross-onshore. The energy climbs into the strong range—347 to 440—but it’s lumpy, choppy, and generally poor. This is raw, unorganised power. Not good for a reef, and honestly, with that wind and the beach/reef setup, this looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

It gets bigger and messier through the 18th and 19th, with 7ft to 8ft of ESE swell, cross-onshore winds at 19 mph, and energy readings jumping from 543 up to 1372. That’s strong wave energy, but it’s all over the place—lumpy and wind-blown. The period is around 8-9 seconds, so it’s not a clean groundswell. This is only for the experienced crew, and even then, it’s going to be a battle.

The 20th is the peak of this pulse: 8ft of ESE swell, 9-second period, and energy readings hitting 1657 to 1867. That’s very strong energy, but with the fresh cross-onshore wind, the surface is going to be a washing machine. Not one for the casual surfer.

After that, it slowly fades. The 21st and 22nd still have 7ft to 7ft of swell, but the period stretches out to 10-11 seconds, which is better, but the wind stays fresh and onshore, keeping it lumpy. The 22nd and 23rd have cross-onshore winds at 19-22 mph and the energy is still strong at 781 to 1239, but it’s all wind-chop. The swell direction is a bit off the optimum for this break, so it’s not lining up well.

So, here’s the bottom line: get out Sunday morning the 9th. That’s your clean, glassy, 3ft window. Everything before that is too small, and everything after is blown out. The long-range stuff in the second week is bigger but messy, and I wouldn't put money on it cleaning up. It’s a patience game, but that Sunday morning is worth the wait.

Rusty.

Read more