The Harbour Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let me tell you how it’s looking at The Harbour. Truth be told, mate, it’s been a tough stretch and it doesn’t really let up for a good while. We’ve got a long dry spell on our hands, so you’ll want to be patient.

For starters, from Thursday 20th of August all the way through to late on Monday 24th, there’s absolutely no swell to speak of. The Harbour is flat, and the wind is mostly a fresh cross-onshore or cross-shore breeze, so the ocean’s just messy or dead. Not a single thing to get excited about. Even on Sunday and Monday morning when it goes clean and glassy with light offshore breezes, there’s simply no wave height to ride – we’re talking 0.2m (0.7 ft) at most.

Then from Tuesday 25th up through to Thursday 27th of August, things start to lift a little but the quality stays poor. We’ll see a small bump Wednesday morning with a swell around 1.1m (4 ft) coming from the SE, cross-shore wind at 19 km/h (12 mph), and a moderate combined swell energy of 104. The period is only 6 seconds though, so it’s weak and lumpy – definitely not worth dragging the wettie on for.

The next couple of days, Thursday 27th afternoon kicks up with a 2.1m (7 ft) E swell and wind howling from the ENE at 31 mph (50 km/h) – near gale force and cross-onshore. That’s going to be blown out and too big for beginners anyway, and honestly this setup at a beach/groyne like The Harbour looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The combined energy jumps to 420, so there’s power, but it’s just ugly.

Friday 28th of August morning brings a cleaner period with light winds from the NNE at 6 mph (10 km/h), but it’s cross-onshore. Swell drops to 1.6m (5 ft) from the ENE with a 9-second period and the combined energy is strong at 486. The wave comment still says poor surf conditions though – the wind, while light, is not offshore, so expect wind ripples and a bumpy surface. Not really the standout you’d hope for, but it’s one of the better windows in this long stretch.

After that, the surf drops right away again, with small windswell and mostly cross or onshore winds through to the end of the month. On Sunday 30th of August, we see another blip with a 1.6m (5 ft) ENE swell and gentle cross-onshore wind, combined energy at 325, but it’s fairly choppy – a long way from glassy. Not a confident call.

Heading into September, there’s a big spike on the 2nd of September, Wednesday: 2.3m (8 ft) from the east with a period of 8 seconds, combined energy screaming at 703. The wind is cross-onshore from the NNW at 16 mph (25 km/h), so it’s powerful but messy. That’s really only for the experienced crew, and even then the chop will make it a grind.

Finally, we get a little relief on Thursday 3rd of September. The morning shows a clean window with a calm WSW breeze at 3 mph (5 km/h), cross-off, and surfable waves of 0.9m (3 ft) from the east, period 7 seconds, combined energy 162. The wave comment finally says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions”. It’s not pumping, but it’s the only thing in this whole 16-day window that comes close to a proper clean surf. Conditions are clean, and for a break that’s been flat or blown for weeks, this is the one to pencil in if you’re desperate for a paddle.

Overall, this has been a bleak outlook. If you’re set on surfing rather than waiting, then Thursday 3rd of September morning is your best bet. The rest of the time, you’re better off checking back in a few days because the forecasts might change.

Rusty.

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