The Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what we've got cooking.

Honestly, it’s a bit of a quiet stretch ahead. The surf window kicks off on Thursday the 27th of August, but don’t get your hopes up for the first week or so. The conditions are pretty ordinary for a while.

The Jetty is our only real option on the cards. It’s a beginner-friendly sandbar, fairly exposed to the swell, but it’s not going to be a world-beater. The water temp is sitting at 77°, with the anomaly showing it's a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

Thursday the 27th is a no-go. With a SSE wind at 12 mph blowing cross-onshore, the 2 ft ESE swell is just chopped up mess. The wave energy is weak (51). It’s poor.

Friday the 28th morning is our first real glimmer. The wind drops right out – glassy conditions – with the same tiny 2 ft ESE swell. The combined energy is still weak (58). It’s surfable but very ordinary. You’d be struggling for a ride, but it’ll be clean as a whistle. That afternoon the wind swings S at 9 mph, turning it back to choppy junk.

Saturday the 29th is a write-off. A strong NE cross-shore wind at 16 mph will just make a mess of the 3 ft ENE swell.

Sunday the 30th morning is glassy again with a tiny 1 ft SE swell, but with energy as low as 22, you’ll be waiting a long time between nothing. The afternoons are all choppy again.

From Monday the 31st right through to Thursday the 10th of September, the story is the same: tiny surf, mostly under 2 ft, and weak energy levels struggling to hit triple digits. It’s a long, flat run. The best you’ll get are some clean mornings with light wind, but there’s just no swell to ride.

The one standout, and it’s a promise not a guarantee. On Sunday the 6th of September, the swell finally bumps up. We’re looking at a 4 ft ENE swell. The combined energy jumps to a moderate 138 – a real step up from the rest of the run. The problem? The wind is cross-onshore from the east at 16 mph. It’ll be choppy and a bit of a battle. For the experienced crew, there might be a few fun ones in there, but for beginners, that’s getting a bit too much punch and mess. For most, it’s a kite surfer’s kind of session.

After that, it drops back down into the weak stuff. By Friday the 11th of September we get some light offshore winds (NW at 9 mph), but with only a 2 ft S swell, it’s a clean ankle-snapper.

Bottom line: if you’re desperate for a paddle, the glassey mornings on the 28th of August or the 30th of August are your best bet for clean, tiny waves. The only real pulse of swell on the 6th of September will be compromised by the wind. It’s a lean forecast, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. Forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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