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.

First off, I gotta be straight with ya – this is a tough one. The Harbour is a beach/groyne setup, exposed to SE swell, and we’re lookin’ at a long, long stretch of flat or near-flat conditions right out of the gate. From Friday the 31st of July all the way through to Monday the 3rd of August, there’s basically nothin’ – zero energy, poor surf conditions every session. That’s a solid four days of stare-at-the-ocean-and-sigh kinda deal.

The first tiny flicker of life shows up on Monday afternoon the 3rd of August, but honestly, it’s barely a breath. We’re talkin’ a 1 ft SE swell with a short period of 4 seconds and combined energy of just 5 (weak). The wind’s light and cross-off, so it’ll be clean, but that’s about the only positive. Not worth paddlin’ out for unless you’re desperate for a float.

Tuesday the 4th of August sees a little bump – the morning brings 3 ft SE swell at 7 seconds (energy 75), still weak, and it’s cross-shore wind makin’ it messy. By the afternoon, that swell nudges up to 4 ft from the SE, period still 7 seconds, and combined energy climbs to 128 (moderate). The wind goes light and cross-off, so the surface cleans up. This is the only window in the whole 16-day stretch where you could get a couple of ordinary but rideable waves. It’s the standout – if you can call it that. The swell direction (SE) lines up with the optimum, and conditions are clean, but the waves are tiny and the period’s short, so don’t expect much push. It’s intermediate-friendly, given the size.

After that, it’s back to the doldrums. Wednesday the 5th through to Saturday the 15th of August is a near-continuous run of flat or tiny, poor surf. The odd 2 ft to 3 ft NE or SE swell pops up, but combined energy stays below 100 (weak), periods are short, and winds are often cross-shore or onshore, killin’ any chance of quality. The water temp anomaly is average for the time of year, so at least the water’s not freakin’ chilly on top of it all.

Bottom line: There’s one very ordinary session on Tuesday afternoon the 4th of August – clean, small, and surfable if you’re keen. The rest of the 16 days is pretty much a write-off. This is one of those stretches where the surf just isn’t on. But hey, it tends not to stay this poor forever – forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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