The groyne Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – the next two weeks are a proper struggle for any kind of decent wave around here. The Groyne is the only break on the cards, and for most of this run, it’s going to be a battle against onshore slop or just plain tiny conditions. There are long gaps where you’d be better off cleaning the wax off your board than paddling out. It’s a pretty bleak outlook, but hang in there – forecasts can change, and it can’t stay this poor forever.

We start off on Thursday the 30th of July with small, weak swell. The Groyne is seeing a tiny 2 ft from the ENE with a short 7-second period, and the combined energy is a weak 67. A cross-off SSW wind at 9 mph keeps things clean in the morning, but the waves are just too small and weak to bother with. By the afternoon, rain showers move in with a cross-on SE wind, and it’s a write-off. The water temp is sitting at 68°, about a degree and a half colder than normal for this time of year – enough to feel a bit nippy.

Friday the 31st and Saturday the 1st of August are rubbish. Swell bumps up a touch to 4 ft–5 ft, but it’s short-period SE and SSE junk at 5–6 seconds, with moderate onshore winds. The combined energy gets into the low 100s, but the surf quality is poor – just crumbly, choppy slop.

Sunday the 2nd of August actually sees some notable energy. The morning is a 5 ft ESE swell with a combined energy of 260, but it’s still a cross-shore wind and the conditions are messy. Then in the afternoon, the period jumps to 15 seconds – proper groundswell – with combined energy hitting 420, but it’s only 2 ft. That long-period, small swell will look pretty but there just isn’t enough size to ride. The onshore wind ruins it anyway.

Monday the 3rd of August is the first time we get a glimmer of hope. The morning is clean with a cross-off SSW wind at 9 mph, and the swell is still small at 2 ft from the SE, but the period is 13 seconds. The combined energy is 222. It’s marginal – just a question of tide and whether you can find a corner. This is the closest we get to a recommendation for the first week, but it’s a long shot.

Then we hit a massive gap. From midday Monday through to Tuesday the 11th of August, there’s nothing worth paddling for. Days of tiny, onshore, or straight-up glassy flatness. On Tuesday the 4th of August, the morning goes glassy with no wind and a 2 ft SE swell at 9 seconds – combined energy only 104. It’s surfable but ordinary. The same story repeats on the morning of Wednesday the 5th with a clean, 3 ft E swell at 10 seconds (combined energy 134). Still, nothing to get excited about.

It stays dire until Tuesday morning, the 11th of August. We get glassy conditions again, with a 2 ft SE swell and a very long 12-second period. Combined energy is 91. The waves will be clean, but you’d be scratching for anything rideable. That’s all we’ve got for over a week.

Now, Wednesday the 12th of August is the standout, and it’s the one to circle if you’re desperate. The morning sees a 6 ft swell from the SE with a 9-second period, and combined energy jumps right up to 494 – that’s serious power. The wind is cross-off from the SW at 16 mph, which keeps it clean. This is the biggest swell of the whole forecast. It’s still marginal for tide, but this is your best shot. Keep in mind, 6 ft is getting a bit big for beginners, and the SE direction is right in the optimum zone for The Groyne. The reef there can handle the energy. Get on it.

The rest of the second week fades out. Thursday the 13th of August morning is clean with a 3 ft SE swell (combined energy 171), and Friday the 14th of August morning has a glassy 2 ft E swell with a 12-second period (combined energy 101). Both are surfable but nothing special.

So to sum it up – mark Wednesday morning, the 12th of August, at The Groyne. That’s the one. Everything else is a struggle. Keep your eyes on the charts; this poor run won’t last forever.

Rusty

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