The Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's get into it.

Alright folks, we've got a mixed bag coming up for The Island. This is a consistent, exposed reef break that handles a SW swell perfectly, and over the next couple of weeks, the swell energy is going to fluctuate something fierce.

The water temp is sitting at 58.8°, which is pretty much average for this time of year, so no wetsuit dramas on that front.

Let’s kick off with Friday the 28th of August. We’ve got a solid 5.6 ft SW groundswell rolling in with a very long 16-second period. The combined energy is strong at 1510. The wind is a cross-off from the NE at 12 mph, keeping it clean. This is a solid day for experienced surfers, but for the average punter, the size and power might be a bit of a handful. Friday afternoon the swell eases slightly to 4.9 ft, but the wind drops to 9 mph, still cross-off. A good day, but not the standout.

Saturday the 29th sees the swell drop to 3.6 ft in the morning with a clean offshore E wind at 9 mph. The energy is moderate at 465. It's clean but lacking that punch. Saturday afternoon gets smaller to 3.0 ft.

Sunday the 30th continues with the smaller trend, 3.0 ft in the morning but with a moderate offshore breeze from the E at 12 mph. The energy is moderate at 491. However, Sunday afternoon picks up again to 3.9 ft from the SW with a *very* long 19-second period. That’s some serious groundswell energy at 1005. This long period stuff will be lining up beautifully at this reef.

Monday the 31st brings a step up in size, with 5.9 ft SW swell and a long 19-second period. The energy is strong at 2175. The wind is a cross-off from the NNE at 12 mph. It stays solid all day, with Monday afternoon seeing similar 5.9 ft swell but the wind switches to a light cross-shore from the N at 6 mph. It will be a bit lumpy with that cross-shore ripple but still rideable.

Tuesday the 1st of September is a write-off. The wind is a fresh 22 mph cross-shore from the N in the morning, making a mess of the 4.3 ft swell. Then it goes onshore from the WNW in the afternoon. This is a day to stay home. Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd are also poor, with onshore and fresh cross-onshore winds ruining the chest to head-high swell. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing during these days.

Now, here’s our first real standout. The Island on Friday the 4th of September. Morning will see a clean 6.6 ft SW swell with a 14-second period. The energy is strong at 1510. But the key is the wind: a glassy offshore breeze from the E at only 6 mph. It will be absolutely clean. This is a proper session for advanced surfers.

Saturday the 5th of September gets messy again with fresh onshore wind and rain spoiling a solid 7.2 ft swell. Sunday the 6th of September is a full-on washout with 9.8 ft SW swell, but it’s getting thrashed by a strong breeze from the W at 22 mph, gusting to 28 mph. That’s for extreme experts only, if anyone.

Things clean up a bit by Tuesday the 8th of September with a smaller 4.9 ft swell and a cross-off wind from the SSE at 9 mph. The energy is moderate at 758. It’s marginal but clean.

Now for the second standout, and it’s a beauty. The Island on Wednesday the 9th of September. Morning brings a clean 4.3 ft SW groundswell with a 16-second period. The energy is moderate at 793. But the wind is a gentle offshore from the E at 9 mph, making it a truly fantastic morning for the experienced surfer. It's glassy and clean.

Thursday the 10th of September morning is also excellent for experienced surfers, with 4.9 ft SW swell and a 16-second period. The energy is strong at 1131, and the wind is a gentle cross-off from the ENE at 9 mph. Clean waves.

Finally, we round out with Friday the 11th of September. The afternoon is where it’s at. We have a 6.9 ft SW swell, a 16-second period, and the combined energy is strong at 2247. The wind? Dead calm. Glassy as a lake. This is an epic setup, but the size means it’s for the experts only.

Saturday the 12th of September sees a massive 8.2 ft SW swell with a long 17-second period and the combined energy roaring up to 3751. The wind is a cross-off from the NNE at 16 mph in the morning, keeping it clean. This is a huge, powerful swell, only for the most experienced. The afternoon sees it drop slightly to 7.9 ft with a light cross-on from the NW.

So, if you’re an experienced surfer, mark your calendar for the morning of Friday the 4th of September and the morning of Wednesday the 9th of September. Those are the two true standouts with clean conditions and solid energy.

Rust

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