The Harbour Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you from the start. Looking at The Harbour over the next couple of weeks... it's a tough watch. We've got a long, dry spell before anything even worth paddling out for shows up.

The next several days are a write-off. From Friday the 11th right through to late on Friday the 19th, it's pretty much flat or junk. There's a session on Sunday the 13th with a glassy 0.7ft swell, but with a period of just 5 seconds, it's not doing anything. The wind and swell combo just isn't there for The Harbour, a beach and groyne setup that needs a clean SE swell to work. It's a week and a half of nothing.

Finally, on the morning of Saturday the 19th, we get a little pulse. A 3ft SSE swell, period of 6 seconds, and a moderate offshore wind from the SW. The wave comment says "surfable but very ordinary" – and that's the best we've got all period. The combined energy is weak at 26, so it’s not got any punch. It'll be rideable for an intermediate surfer, but don't expect anything memorable. The water temp is about average for this time of year.

Then it's right back to frustration. The morning of Sunday the 20th sees a bump in size to 4ft from the SSW, but the wind is howling at 35 km/h. That's a fresh offshore, which sounds good, but the energy is only moderate at 132, and the short 6-second period means lumpy, onshore wind-swell. Not worth the drive.

We get a tease on Wednesday the 23rd. The combined swell energy jumps into the strong zone at 474, with a 6ft S swell. But that's all raw power with no shape – the period is only 6 seconds and the wind is a messy cross-shore from the WNW. That’s a big, bumpy, washing-machine day for experts only. The same size rolls into the afternoon, but it drops to 237 energy and the cross-shore turns into a cross-chop. Honestly, a setup like The Harbour with that much wind and short-period power would be better suited for the kite surfers than a paddle.

Thursday the 24th gives us another "surfable but ordinary" morning with a 5ft NW swell. The wind is light and it's clean, but the period is a paltry 5 seconds. There's just no push. And then it's back to nothing for the final days.

So here's the bottom line: if you're dying for a wave, the early morning of Saturday the 19th is your only real shot for a weak, ordinary paddle. Maybe check again on Thursday the 24th morning. Otherwise, it's a brutal forecast. The Harbour is just not cooperating.

Stay patient.

Rusty.

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