The South Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this 16-day stretch for The South Jetty is a tough one. It’s a beach/jetty setup exposed to the SE, and while it does get some swell, the timing and quality just aren’t lining up for a proper surf session for most of the outlook. We’re looking at a long, quiet run with only a couple of moments that might get you wet, but nothing that’ll get the heart racing.

For the first week and a bit, from Monday 24 August right through to the end of the month, we’ve got tiny swell – only about 1 ft to 1 ft coming out of the SE. Wave energy is weak, reading between 17 and 96 (that’s the combined energy of all swells directed here). The wind is a mixed bag, with some glassy mornings like Wednesday 26 August (WNW 3 mph) and Saturday 29 August (N 3 mph), but the swell is just too small to push anything worth paddling for. Most afternoons get chopped up by cross-onshore breezes, and the periods are short and weak. It’s a dead period, plain and simple.

We finally start to see a pulse of energy roll in around Tuesday 1 September morning. Swell lifts to 2 ft from the SE with a long period of 15 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 199 (moderate). The wind is cross-off from the NNE at 12 mph making for clean conditions. This is the first real highlight, but the waves are still small. Then Wednesday 2 September morning looks better: 2 ft SE swell with a 13-second period, light NNE cross-off at 6 mph, and energy sitting at 192. It’s surfable but still very ordinary – maybe a longboard or a funboard will get a few knee-high runners.

The standout moment comes on Thursday 3 September. Thursday morning is rough with 25 mph north winds, but Thursday afternoon is the pick of the entire outlook. Swell hits 4 ft from the SE with a 14-second period, and the combined energy is a strong 492 (moderate to strong). The wind goes offshore from the NW at 12 mph, so it’s clean, lined up, and has some push. For an intermediate crew, this is the only session that’s genuinely worth planning for. The South Jetty is consistent, so it’ll be breaking, but crowds are sometimes an issue – so get out there early if you can.

After that, Friday 4 September and Saturday 5 September see the swell drop back to 2 ft–3 ft, with energy fading from 185 down to 92. Glassy conditions on Saturday morning (SW 3 mph) but the waves are tiny again. Then from Sunday 6 September through to Tuesday 8 September, it’s back to junk – small, choppy, and onshore, with swell barely hitting 1 ft and periods dropping to 5–6 seconds. Energy is below 33, weak as.

So, in a nutshell: the first week is a write-off. Thursday 3 September afternoon is the best on offer – 4 ft SE groundswell with offshore wind – but don’t expect anything epic. The rest is for the kite surfers or the dog walkers.

- Rusty

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