The Pass Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the first week is a bit of a write-off. We’ve got a long stretch of pretty ordinary to poor conditions, so don’t be in a rush to wax up. The real action is a week and a half away, and it’s got a bit of promise.

The Pass is your only spot on the menu, a classic beginner-friendly point break that’s fairly exposed to the swell. The water is sitting at 68°, which is pretty average for this time of year, nothing wild there.

We start off on Saturday, August 8th, with a tiny bit of swell. The morning is clean but small, with 3ft of east-northeast swell and a gentle cross-off breeze. The afternoon picks up a little to 4ft from the east, and the wind turns offshore, so it’s clean but still small. The combined energy is weak (112 to 169).

Then we hit a rough patch. From Sunday the 9th all the way through to Friday the 14th, it’s mostly poor. The wind is all over the shop – cross-on, lumpy, choppy. We get a bit of a spike on Monday the 10th with a 6ft swell from the north-northeast, but the period is a short 6 seconds and the wind is a fresh cross-on breeze, making it a total mess. The combined energy spikes to 403, but it’s all wind chop. Not worth it for paddling, honestly looks more like a kite-surfing kind of day.

Friday the 14th afternoon shows a little hope. A 4ft swell from the south-southeast with a 10-second period, and clean conditions with a cross-off breeze. The energy jumps to 348, but it’s still only rated as marginal. The weekend after that is small again.

Now, the standout. Mark your calendars for Monday, August 17th. The morning brings a solid 5ft swell from the southeast, with a moderate offshore wind from the southeast. The period is short at 7 seconds, but that offshore wind will keep it clean. The combined energy is a solid 270. This is the best on offer in the whole window. The afternoon stays similar, though the wind shifts a bit more east-southeast. It’s the only time in the whole forecast where we get a “good” call, and it’s a Monday, so you might have the place to yourselves if you can sneak out.

The rest of the second week (from Tuesday the 18th onward) is a mix of clean but small waves, with a few 3ft to 5ft days, but nothing that grabs you by the collar. The combined energy stays low to moderate.

So, bottom line: the first week is mostly a dud. The one real highlight is that Monday, August 17th, with clean 5ft surf and offshore wind. That’s your window. After that, it’s a slow fade back to small stuff.

Rusty.

Read more