The Harbour Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's be straight up – this outlook for The Harbour is a rough one. We've got a long, dry spell on our hands before anything that even looks like a wave shows up. The whole 16-day run is basically a waiting game, and for most of it, there's just nothing worth getting wet for.

The Harbour is a beach/groyne setup, and the water temp sits right around 57°F right now, which is dead average for this time of year. Nothing special there.

Sunday 16th to Thursday 28th morning – and I mean *all* of it – is a total write-off. We're talking a solid 12-day stretch with zero surf on offer. The swell energy is flat (0) and the wave comments all say "poor surf conditions." Don't even bother checking the cam. Even when the wind goes glassy on a few mornings, there's no swell to make it worthwhile. A lot of those days have strong, messy cross-shore winds too, so the ocean is just chopped up and ugly. The only bright spot during this drought is that some afternoons are offshore, but again, with no waves, that's just a pretty picture.

Friday 28th August – finally, a pulse. The morning brings in a 6 ft swell from the SE (period 6 seconds), with moderate cross-offshore winds. That's the first real energy we've seen, clocking in at 219. It's a short-period windswell, so it'll be a bit lumpy and disorganised, but it's rideable. Still, the wave comment says "marginal," so keep your expectations in check.

The standout of the whole outlook, and it's not even a great one, is Friday afternoon on the 28th. The swell jumps to 8 ft from the ESE (period 7 seconds), and the combined energy hits 1082 – that's moderate energy. The winds stay cross-offshore, which will clean it up a bit. At 8 ft, this is expert territory. It's too big for beginners and will be pushing it for intermediates. The short period (7 seconds) means it'll be steep and fast, not that classic long-period groundswell that offers longer rides. This is for the crew who can handle a big, punchy beach break on a groyne.

Saturday 29th – the swell drops back fast. 3 ft SE in the morning, cross-onshore winds. It's messy, and the energy is already down to 147. By the afternoon, it's 2 ft and still cross-onshore. Not worth the paddle.

After that, from Sunday 30th through Monday 31st, it fizzles completely back to flat, with tiny 0.7 ft to 1.0 ft leftovers and clean but empty conditions.

Bottom line: The only window to surf here is Friday the 28th. The afternoon will have the most size, but it's for experts only. If you're not keen on 8 ft short-period slop under cross-offshore winds, you might as well keep the board in the car. It's been a grim run, but forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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