The Harbour Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s cooking at The Harbour for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, the first few days are a total dud. From Tuesday the 25th through Thursday the 27th, you’re looking at a dead zone. Tiny, gutless swell with periods of 3 to 6 seconds, and a cross-onshore breeze that’s just messing up the surface. The combined energy is low, from 3 to 171 (weak to moderate), and it’s all "poor surf conditions." Keep your board bagged up.

Friday the 28th is the first sign of life. The morning brings a light cross-shore from the NNW and the swell bumps up to 1.5m from the E with a 8-second period. The energy hits 326 (moderate), but it’s still "marginal." The afternoon is better – the wind goes cross-offshore from the WNW at 20 km/h, and the swell holds at 1.6m from the ENE. That’s the cleanest it’ll be for a while, but it’s still only a marginal call.

Saturday the 29th has a small window of clean waves in the morning with a cross-offshore breeze, but the swell drops to 0.8m from the ENE, and the energy is only 83. It’s surfable, but you’ll be scratching for it. Then we go flat again with glassy conditions on Sunday the 30th, but the swell is barely 0.6m.

Here’s the one real standout in the whole run. Circle Tuesday the 1st of September. The afternoon session brings a 2.0m swell from the SSE with a 7-second period, and the wind is a fresh offshore from the SSW at 35 km/h. The combined energy is 340 (moderate), and it’s "marginal surf forecast," but that offshore wind is going to make it clean. That’s the biggest swell of the period, and the only time we see waves over 2.0m. At 2.0m, that’s expert territory, so if you’re a beginner, sit this one out.

The rest of the first week of September is a mix of small, clean but weak swells, with nothing else really firing. The 5th of September has a 1.0m swell from the SSE with a light offshore wind in the morning, and the 8th has a similar 0.7m pulse, but it’s all very ordinary. The water is sitting at 14°C, which is about normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The Harbour is a beach/groyne setup, and it’s fairly consistent, but this run is patchy. The best bet is the Tuesday afternoon session on the 1st of September, but it’s a long way out, so keep an eye on the forecasts. For the rest of it, you’re looking at clean but tiny waves, or a bit of size but messy conditions. The Harbour is exposed to the SE swell, and the optimum direction is SE, so when it does come in, it’s okay, but it’s not a standout spot for this window.

Rusty signing off.

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