The Pines Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a tricky 16-day window ahead at The Pines. This reef rarely breaks, so any rideable swell is a bit of a gift. The water temp is sitting at 58° right now, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year.

The first decent window kicks off Wednesday morning, August 26. The swell is still dropping from a solid 8ft early in the week but down to a cleaner 6ft from the SSW with a 13-second period. The big win is a light W 3 mph cross-off breeze keeping it tidy. It’s rare to see this spot clean, so Wednesday morning is a sneaky good option. The combined energy is moderate at (1075). It’s not big, but for a place that rarely breaks, it’s worth a look. Afternoon holds similar with 6ft and clean conditions.

Thursday the 27th drops to 4ft in the morning with a NW 9 mph cross-off – surfable but ordinary. The afternoon picks up with a 5ft SW swell and a NW 6 mph offshore wind, clean conditions, decent for a sneaky session.

Now, if you’re experienced, Friday August 28 is the standout. The morning starts glassy with ENE 3 mph, a clean 7ft SSW swell at a very long 16-second period. The combined energy pumps at (4044). This is serious groundswell, and on a reef setup like The Pines, it’ll hold its shape nicely. Keep in mind it’s only for experienced surfers at this size. The afternoon drops a little to 6ft but swings onshore, so the morning is the call.

Saturday the 29th has glassy 5ft SSW swell in the morning again, clean and nice but smaller.

A big spike hits Sunday afternoon, August 30 – 10ft from the SSW at a 19-second period, huge energy (5406). But the wind is onshore from the SE at 6 mph, which makes the conditions messy. It’s a marginal call, and that size is expert-only territory.

Monday August 31 looks excellent again. Morning gives us 8ft SSW at 16 seconds, with a NNE 6 mph cross-off and clean conditions. The afternoon is 7ft with a NW 6 mph offshore wind. Both are very good, the best run of clean, solid swell in the week. Energy sits at (2961) and (2417).

Into the second week, confidence drops. Tuesday September 1 holds 6ft to 5ft SSW swell with moderate NW offshore winds – clean but weaker. Wednesday the 2nd is ordinary with only 4ft to 6ft.

From Thursday September 3 onward, the winds go ugly. A 7ft to 8ft SSW swell but cross-onshore winds from the SSW and S at 12 to 15 mph make it choppy and poor.

A glimmer comes on Friday September 4 afternoon – glassy with SSE 3 mph and a 7ft SSW swell, clean shape (2103 energy). Saturday September 5 morning is also glassy WNW 3 mph with 8ft SSW swell (2547 energy), another very good session for the experienced crowd.

After that, it gets blown out again with onshore winds and big swell that’s mostly messy. Sunday September 6 through Wednesday September 9 is all cross-onshore winds and choppy conditions, with sizes from 5ft up to 10ft – unrideable for a paddle setup.

Overall, the call is Friday August 28 morning and Monday August 31 as the true standouts. For a spot that rarely shows up, that’s two clean, solid days.

Rusty.

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