The Pines Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty.

Alright, let’s get into it. We’ve got one spot on the radar for the next 16 days: The Pines. It’s a sheltered reef break that rarely breaks, so don’t get your hopes up too high. The water temperature is sitting at 58°, which is bang on average for this time of year – nothing to write home about.

The first real action kicks off Wednesday, August 12th, with a solid SSW groundswell. The energy is pumping hard – 3946 in the morning, pushing up to 5472 by the afternoon. That’s serious wave energy. Swell is 8 ft to 10 ft, with a long 16-second period. That’s proper groundswell. The downside? It’s cross-offshore wind, so it’ll be clean but not perfectly glassy. The quality is rated as “marginal” due to tide, but for experienced surfers, this is still a solid session. Thursday 13th looks like the standout – morning sees 12 ft SSW swell at 16 seconds, energy hitting 5957, with a light cross-off breeze. Conditions are described as “excellent” for experienced surfers. That’s your best bet. The period is long, so expect good shape and power, but sets will be spaced out – a classic reef break rhythm.

From Friday 14th through to Sunday 16th, the swell holds but wind goes more cross-on to onshore, and quality drops. The scores tumble. By Saturday 15th, it’s onshore and messy. Sunday 16th is a write-off – poor surf and onshore wind. The energy drops from 2813 to 1318. Not worth paddling out.

Then we hit a dry spell. From Monday 17th to Wednesday 19th, the swell drops right off – down to 3 ft on the 19th with only 294 energy. That’s weak. The Pines rarely breaks anyway, and this confirms it: nothing happening. There’s a long gap with no real surf.

Things start to perk up again on Thursday 20th – a 4 ft SSW swell, 17-second period, cross-off wind, and clean conditions. Energy is 1066. It’s modest, but with the long period and glassy conditions, it’s a worthwhile paddle for a patient surfer. Friday 21st is tiny – 3 ft with glassy offshore conditions early, but too small to get excited about.

The real next standout is Sunday 23rd August. A big 13 ft SSW swell hits, with a 12-second period and energy surging to 5173. That’s a lot of power. Wind is light cross-on, so it’ll be a bit lumpy, but for experienced surfers only – 13 ft is serious. The period is short at 12 seconds, so it’ll be a bit more walled up, not the long, clean lines of the first swell. Still, the size is undeniable.

After that, Monday 24th is messy with strong cross-shore wind. Tuesday 25th brings another big SSW swell – 10 ft, 17-second period, energy 6242 – with cross-off wind. That’s a solid, clean groundswell for experienced surfers again. The period is long, so expect good shape but wait for the sets.

The last few days, from Wednesday 26th onward, see a mix of offshore wind but dropping swell and some rain or thunderstorms. The 27th sees 10 ft SSW swell with fresh cross-off wind, but the energy is still high (4676). It’s clean, but the wind is fresh, so it’ll be a bit lumpy.

Overall, the best windows are Thursday 13th August for the best combination of size, period, and wind, and Tuesday 25th August for another big, clean groundswell. Both are for experienced surfers due to the size. The Pines is a rare breaker, so when it’s on, it’s a treat.

Rusty.

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