The Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the line for The Island. We’ve got a solid run of groundswell from the southwest, and that’s a good sign. The water temp is sitting at 59°, which is about standard for this time of year—nothing weird going on there.

The first real standout is Monday, August 17, the afternoon. Glassy conditions, a clean 4ft SW swell with a long 16-second period. The energy is moderate at 1045, but that long period means the waves will have some serious push and shape. The wind is dead calm, so it’ll be silky smooth out there. This is a reef break, and with that period it’s going to line up beautifully. This is the best on offer for the first part of the week.

Now, Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th get messy. Tuesday morning has a cross-offshore wind of 19 mph that makes it clean but blowy, and the swell drops a bit. By the afternoon it’s cross-shore and lumpy. Wednesday is a write-off with onshore winds and poor conditions. You don’t want to be out there then.

Thursday the 20th morning shows some life again. Clean, 5ft SW swell with a 16-second period and light cross-off wind. The energy is good at 995. It’s a nice window for a session, but not a standout compared to Monday.

Then Friday the 21st morning is a gem. Completely glassy, 6ft SW groundswell with a 17-second period. That’s a lot of water moving, and the energy jumps to 1955—moderate to strong. This is a big, powerful groundswell for the reef, and with zero wind, it’s going to be world-class for experienced surfers. This is the standout of the whole forecast. It’s big enough that beginners should stay on the beach, but for anyone who knows what they’re doing, it’s a session to remember.

The rest of that weekend (Saturday 22nd, Sunday 23rd) holds decent size, but the wind swings around and puts some bump on the surface. Sunday morning (23rd) has a clean cross-off wind and 5ft SW swell, but the real magic was Friday.

From Monday 24th through to Wednesday 26th, the swell goes through a lull. Small, weak, and often choppy or onshore. Not worth rushing for.

Then come Thursday 27th and the wind really gets nasty. Onshore at 19-22 mph, and the swell jumps up to 8ft with a 16-second period. The energy is strong at 3216. That’s a lot of ocean, but it’s going to be blown out and ugly. Only for the hardest of the hardcore, and even then, it’s more of a battle than a joyride.

After that, Friday 28th is small and choppy, so skip it.

Finally, we get another decent window on Saturday 29th morning. Clean, 5ft SW swell with a 15-second period and light cross-off wind. Energy is moderate at 1036. It’s a good, clean session for the weekend, but nothing like the Friday the 21st magic.

Sunday 30th afternoon also looks glassy again, with a 4ft SW swell. Nice, clean small-wave fun.

Looking into the first few days of September, it gets windy and lumpy again.

Bottom line: Your best bets are Monday 17th afternoon for a clean, mellow session, and absolutely Friday 21st morning for a proper, powerful, glassy groundswell session. That Friday is the one to book off work for.

Rusty.

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