The Harbour Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down what The Harbour’s got cookin’ over the next couple weeks. Gotta be honest—this is a rough one. We’re lookin’ at nearly ten days of flat, junk conditions before anything even waves a hello. If you’ve got some patience, there’s a little glimmer around the 20th, but man, we gotta work for it.

The Harbour is a beach and groyne spot, and it really needs a southeast swell to get goin’. For the first week and a half, there’s nothin’. Thursday the 10th through Tuesday the 17th is basically dead—flat or scraps under 2 ft with weak 4 to 6 second wind slop. The only thing even worth mentionin’ is a glassy Sunday morning on the 13th, but that’s a laughable 2 ft of northerly dribble with a period so short it won’t even lift you. Combined wave energy is in the single digits or teens—barely a ripple. Winds are cross-off or offshore a few times, but with no swell to work, it’s a total loss. By the 18th and 19th, we’re still stuck on tiny 0.3 ft to 0.7 ft waves. The energy readings are barely above zero.

Then, finally, a change around Sunday the 20th. The Harbour gets a pulse of 5 ft swell out of the southeast, with a period of 6 seconds—short period wind swell, but it’s the most energy we’ve seen all forecast, comin’ in at a moderate 162 (combined energy). The morning is clear with a light offshore breeze out of the SSW at 10 km/h. It’s clean, it’s surfable, but the wave comment says it straight: “very ordinary conditions.” Still, it’s the only game in town. That Sunday morning is the standout—moderate energy, clean offshore wind, and the swell direction is southeast, which is right in the break’s optimum sweet spot. It ain’t gonna light the world on fire, but if you need to paddle out, that’s your window. By the afternoon, the wind picks up to a moderate 20 km/h offshore, still clean but droppin’ to 4 ft.

Monday the 21st offers a second look: 3 ft out of the east-northeast at 8 seconds (longer period than before), with a moderate 143 energy reading. Morning is cloudy with a 20 km/h offshore from the southwest—clean again. Winds hold offshore into the afternoon but strengthen to 30 km/h, makin’ for a bumpier session. After that, it’s back to tiny 2 ft to 0.3 ft dribble for the rest of the week with nothin’ worth paddlin’ for.

No word on water temp anomaly in the data, but given it’s mid-September, you’ll want a spring suit.

So here’s the bottom line: the first 10 days are a write-off. Don’t even bother lookin’ at the ocean until the morning of Sunday the 20th. That’s your best—and honestly, only—shot at a proper session at The Harbour. It ain’t gonna be epic, but it’s clean, with a modest southeast swell. After that, it fizzles again. This stretch is a true test of patience.

Rusty.

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