The Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this forecast is a tough one. Over the entire 16-day window, there’s simply no quality surf on offer at The Jetty. Every single session is scored as poor. The swell is tiny, the wind is often messy, and there’s just no energy to get excited about.

From Friday morning, 21 August, through to the end of the period, things are flat and uninspiring. For the first couple of days, we’re looking at weak swell around 2 ft to 2 ft, mostly from the ENE or NE, with periods as short as 4 to 6 seconds – that’s just wind chop, not proper groundswell. The combined energy is low, ranging from 28 to 56 (weak energy), so you’re not getting any punch. The wind is cross-on or cross-off, and it’s not clean enough to make the most of those tiny waves.

Over the weekend of 23–24 August, the swell drops even further – down to 0.7 ft to 2 ft – with periods bouncing around. There’s a bit of westerly cross-off wind on Sunday giving some clean surface, but the wave height is just pathetic. Combined energy is in the 25–45 range, which is barely a ripple.

The following week, 25–31 August, is more of the same. Swell stays under 1 ft for most of it, with occasional bump to 3 ft on the 31st. A few mornings, like Tuesday 25th and Friday 28th, go glassy with a light wind, but the swell is too small and weak to ride. The combined energy never breaks 100 – it’s all weak, even when a 17-second period swell shows up late on the 31st with 1.0 ft at 82 energy – that’s a long-period groundswell, but it’s so small it’s a tease.

The first week of September doesn’t change the story. The swell stays under 3 ft, with periods mostly short or mixed, and the energy only climbs to 111–117 on a couple of afternoons – that’s moderate energy, but the waves are still poor quality. The wind is often cross-on or onshore, keeping things choppy and messy. The Jetty is a sandbar break that’s fairly exposed to SE swell, but the direction and size just aren’t lining up.

The water temperature is about average for the time of year, so no surprise there.

Honestly, there’s no standout session in this 16-day window. The surf is consistently poor, and the Jetty is rarely breaking in a way that’s worth paddling out. If you’re desperate, the glassy mornings with a tiny 1.0 ft–1 ft SE swell might offer a few ankle-biters for a beginner, but don’t expect any real waves. For the rest of us, it’s a blank run. The good news is that for this area, forecasts can change, and it won’t stay this flat forever.

Rusty.

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