The groyne Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let me switch over to feet and miles per hour for you guys who think that way.

This is a tough one to call, folks. I’m looking at the full 16-day forecast for The groyne, and to be brutally honest, there’s not a single standout day where everything comes together for a proper surf. The whole period is basically a write-off for quality waves. We’ve got small swell and persistent onshore or cross-onshore winds that are just messing up the surface. It’s a bleak run, and if you’re hanging your hat on this spot, you’re probably going to be sitting on the beach watching a lot of chop.

Let’s start with the water temp – it’s sitting at 68°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year. Nothing wild, but you’ll feel it.

The first week is a complete washout. From Sunday 23rd August right through, the swell is tiny – between 3 ft and 4 ft – and the wind is mostly coming from the south, southeast, or east. That’s cross or cross-onshore at The groyne, which is exactly what you don’t want. The energy is weak to moderate – we’re looking at values between 91 and 248 (combined energy). It’s all short-period windswell too, around 7 to 8 seconds, so no power, no shape. The model is calling it “poor surf conditions” for almost every session, and I’m not going to argue with that.

There are a couple of mornings that tease you. On Tuesday 25th, we get a 3 ft east swell with glassy conditions, dead calm wind. That’s the one moment where it might look half-decent, but with that short period and the swell being straight east, it’s going to be gutless and soft. It’s surfable, but only just. Wednesday 26th morning is similar – 3 ft, glassy – but again, it’s just not enough juice. These are the only two windows in the first week where the score even reaches a "1" out of 10.

Then things go downhill fast. From Thursday 27th onward, the wind picks up to 12-15 mph from the SSE and SE, making it choppy and messy. The swell does start to build towards the end of the period – by Tuesday 1st September, we’re seeing 6 ft from the east, but the period is still short at 7 seconds, and the wind is cross-onshore. Strong energy though – that Tuesday morning shows 405 combined energy, so there’s a lot of water moving, but it’s mostly just wind-chop and closeouts. Not a paddle surfer’s dream at all. Honestly, with that much wind and poor quality, you’d be better off with a kite if that’s your game.

The second week is more of the same – nothing changes. Small swell, onshore winds, “poor surf conditions” at every turn. The peak of the swell drops back to 3 ft to 5 ft by the end of the week, but the quality never improves. The only real change is a brief moment on Friday 4th September morning when the wind goes light and cross-offshore from the north – that’s the cleanest wind we see, but the swell is only 3 ft and the period is still fairly short.

So, what’s the standout? There isn’t one. If you’re desperate, the glassy mornings on Tuesday 25th and Wednesday 26th were your best shot, but they’re long gone by the time you read this. The rest is a blank run. This area is prone to these flat, windy spells – it’s normal. Forecasts can always shift, but as it stands, I’d take the next fortnight off.

Rusty.

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