The Pines Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the table for The Pines. It's a tricky little setup—a very sheltered reef that rarely breaks. When it does, it's pulling in that SSW groundswell, but only if everything lines up perfectly.

Right off the bat, I gotta tell ya, the start of this run is a bit of a write-off. Tuesday the 7th is just messy—cross-on breeze, poor conditions. Not worth paddling out for. That sets the tone for the first few days; it's a slow burn.

The first real hint of something happening comes on Thursday the 9th. The swell drops to a clean 5ft around Thursday afternoon, and that wind... it goes glassy. Absolute magic for a spot like this. The swell period is a very long 15 seconds, so the waves will have proper shape and energy, but at a reef, that long period can make it a bit tricky. Still, a glassy afternoon on a 5ft SSW groundswell is about as good as it gets here. The water is sitting at 59°, which is pretty average for this time of year, so nothing spooky going on there.

We get a bit of a pulse through Friday the 10th, with clean conditions and offshore winds in the afternoon, but the energy is starting to drop. Honestly, Friday afternoon is good, but not the standout.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting—we’re looking at some serious size coming in from the 13th onwards. Monday the 13th sees solid 13ft SSW swell, but with 12–13 mph cross-off winds, it’s marginal. That’s expert-only territory, and the crowd factor is definitely something to consider here—this spot can be packed when it fires.

The real gem lands on Tuesday the 14th. We’ve got a 10ft SSW swell, still a long period of 16 seconds, and light WNW winds in the morning. It’s calling for excellent conditions for experienced surfers. The combined energy is massive at 4944. This is the one to circle on your calendar if you’ve got the skills. By Wednesday the 15th, we see another beautiful window—10ft SSW swell with a 20-second period in the afternoon and glassy conditions. That’s incredibly long period swell, perfect for the reef, but it’ll be lining up clean and powerful.

After that, it starts to wind down. There are some fun, clean waves through the 16th and 17th, but the size is backing off. By the weekend of the 18th and 19th, the wind picks up strong, and the quality drops right off. That run from the 20th into the 22nd sees big, messy conditions with strong wind and rain—a real kook-storm. You’d be better off staying home than fighting 25 mph winds and lumpy 12ft waves.

So, bottom line: it’s a waiting game. The first week is quiet. The standout is Tuesday the 14th for the big, clean 10ft SSW groundswell with light winds—a proper session for the experienced crew. Keep the 15th in mind too for that glassy afternoon. After that, the window slams shut.

Stay safe, watch the tides, and don't be a hero on the big days.

Rusty.

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