The Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on the card for The Island.

The next week and a half is a tough one, if I’m honest. We’re looking at a lot of big, powerful swell that’ll be in the 8 ft range, but the wind is going to be a real enemy for most of it. That southwest swell is gonna have strong to very strong combined wave energy (up to 4173), but with cross-onshore winds in the 18-19 mph range making a mess of things, there’s no point even looking at it for a paddle. The setup is a reef, so with that much energy and cross-off conditions, honestly, it might be better suited for a kite session than trying to ride a surfboard in that chop.

We’re in for a frustrating gap through Monday and Tuesday the 10th and 11th, and then again on Wednesday the 12th. It’s just a lot of power with no clean face at all.

The real standout, and the only window that looks proper, is that Thursday morning, the 13th of August. The wind drops to nothing, glassy conditions. The swell is still a solid 8 ft from the southwest, with a long 16-second period. The combined wave energy is still strong at 2533. This is serious groundswell, and for a reef break, that means power and shape. But let's be clear, at 8 ft with that energy, this is for experienced surfers only. The water temp is about average for the time of year at 59° and feels normal. Crowds are possible there.

Then, Friday the 14th is another beauty. Both morning and afternoon seeing glassy conditions with a strong 8 ft swell from the southwest, a 17-second period, and 3464 combined energy. That is very long-period groundswell hitting the reef, and it’s going to be clean and powerful. Again, experts only, but for them, this is the gold.

Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th are smaller but good. Saturday morning still has a decent 6 ft of southwest swell with a 16-second period and an offshore east-northeast wind at 6 mph keeping it clean. A bit weaker on the energy at 1784, but a much more manageable day for a strong intermediate.

After that, Monday the 17th and Tuesday the 18th still have clean, rideable options in the 3 ft to 5 ft range, but the energy is dropping off steadily. By Wednesday the 19th, it gets messy again with cross-shore winds, and the gaps from Wednesday the 20th to Friday the 22nd look poor and not worth paddling out for. There’s a little bump from a westerly change on Friday the 21st, but that gets ruined by a strong cross-off breeze. The whole forecast looks like a short, sharp peak of excellence around the 13th and 14th, then a slow decline into small and messy conditions.

So, looking at the whole 16 days, the absolute standout is Friday morning, the 14th of August. That glassy 8 ft southwest groundswell at a 17-second period on The Island reef is as good as it gets for an advanced surfer. Thursday the 13th morning is a very close second.

Stay safe out there, and don’t waste your fuel on the windy junk.

Rusty.

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