The Harbour Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for The Harbour over the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, it’s a pretty bleak stretch ahead. The Harbour is a beach and groyne setup that's exposed to the swell, but we’ve got a long run of nothing much to get excited about. The combined swell energy is weak, barely hitting double digits for most of it, and the waves are tiny. The first sign of any real push doesn’t show up until the very end of the period.

The water temperature is sitting around 57°, which is about normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Let’s break it down. Starting from Thursday the 27th of August, we’ve got a 4ft swell coming from the ESE with a short, weak period of 6 seconds. The wind is cross-on, the combined energy is a paltry 77, and it’s just poor. That carries on into Friday the 28th, where the swell bumps up to 5ft from the East with a slightly longer period of 8 seconds, and the energy climbs to a moderate 299, but the wind is a messy cross-shore from the NW at 22 mph. That’s going to be lumpy and chop. Not worth paddling out for.

Saturday the 29th drops back to 3ft, and from there it’s a long, slow grind of tiny surf. From Sunday the 30th of August right through to Tuesday the 8th of September, we’re looking at waves mostly below 2ft, with the combined energy often in the single digits or low teens. The wind does go light and cross-off or glassy at times, so it’ll be clean, but there’s just no power behind it. It’s a flat spell.

Then on Wednesday the9th of September, we get a tiny pulse of 3ft from the South with a period of 6 seconds, energy at 46. It’s clean with a moderate cross-off breeze, but still small.

The only window that even raises an eyebrow is Thursday the 10th of September. The morning shows a 4ft swell from the NE with a 7-second period, and the combined energy hits a moderate 163. The wind is fresh and cross-off from the South at 19 mph, keeping it clean. This is the best of a bad lot – it’s still not great, but if you’re desperate and an intermediate surfer, that’s your shot. The swell direction isn’t matching the optimum SE, and it’s not consistent, but it’s the biggest we see.

After that, Friday the 11th of September drops back to 0.3ft with strong offshore winds, making it clean but impossible to paddle into anything.

So, for the whole 16-day run, there’s really only one day – the 10th of September – that offers a glimpse of something rideable, and even then, it’s average. For everyone else, this is a kite-surfing stretch, especially when the wind is up on the 28th. Hang in there, though; forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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