The Harbour Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for The Harbour over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with ya – it’s a tough stretch. The first few days are a write-off. Monday the 3rd of August is flat with a side of light rain, and that theme pretty much carries on. Tuesday the 4th sees a bit of a bump, with a 4 ft swell from the ESE, but the wind is howling cross-on at 19 mph, making it a lumpy, choppy mess. The combined wave energy is a moderate 116, but it’s just not clean. Wednesday the 5th offers a tiny bit of hope in the morning – a clean 2 ft swell from the NE with a light cross-off breeze from the SSW at 6 mph. The energy is weak at 53, but it’s the cleanest we’ll see for a while. That afternoon, forget it, a storm risk and a 1 ft dribbler.

Thursday through to the following Tuesday are a real dead zone. Windswell and tiny waves, with the odd glassy moment but nothing worth paddling out for. The water temp is sitting around 58° – about average for the time of year, so no worries there.

Now, we finally get a sniff of something on Thursday the 13th of August. The morning brings a 3 ft groundswell from the SSE, period of 6 seconds, with a clean offshore wind from the SW at 6 mph. The swell energy is a weak 63, but it’s clean and the harbour will have some shape. The afternoon gets a bit more size at 3 ft from the SE, though the wind goes light cross-shore, so it’ll be a little bumpy. It ain’t a standout by any stretch, but it’s the best of a bad lot.

Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th are small and clean, with some offshore and glassy conditions on Saturday afternoon. The swell is only 1 ft to 2 ft, so you’ll be on a longboard or a foiler. The energy is weak, maxing out at 31.

The real highlight, if you can call it that, is Saturday the 15th afternoon. Clean, glassy, 2 ft from the ESE. It’s tiny, but it’s gonna be the most pleasant surf of the whole period. The Harbour is a beach/groyne setup, fairly consistent, and the optimum swell is from the SE. This ESE swell is close enough. Crowds are possible, so grab a window.

The following Sunday the 16th and Monday the 17th stay small and clean, with nothing breaking 3 ft. The energy never gets above 68. The last few days into Tuesday the 18th flatten out again.

So, the honest truth? There’s no big swell, no standout day. The only real window for a clean, rideable wave is the Thursday morning the 13th, and the Saturday afternoon the 15th. If you’re desperate, go for that Saturday glass-off. The rest is a long dry spell.

Rusty.

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