The Washout Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the table for The Washout over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you: it’s looking pretty grim.

The Washout is a beach and pier setup, and it’s very consistent, which normally would be a good sign, but we’ve got a real drought of decent surf on the horizon. The water temperature is sitting at about 86°, which is a touch warmer than normal for the time of year – feels like a bath out there.

Right from the start on Thursday morning, the 30th of July, we’ve got a tiny 1 ft swell from the SSE at a poor 6-second period. The combined wave energy is just 19, absolutely weak. Wind is a light cross-off, so it’s clean, but there’s barely a ripple to surf. The whole first few days are a write-off. Thursday afternoon gets a cross-onshore wind that kills any chance. Friday, the 31st, is more of the same: 2 ft to 2 ft of weak, short-period dribble with cross-onshore wind. Saturday and Sunday are just as poor.

There’s a stretch here where for days there’s simply nothing worth paddling out for. We get a mention of some small swell, but the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore, and the period is short. The first sign of anything slightly different comes on Sunday morning, the 9th of August, where we’ve got a 2 ft SSE swell with a better 8-second period and 54 combined energy units. The wind is a light cross-off from the west early, giving clean conditions. The forecaster’s note says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” – it’s a 1 out of 10. This is the closest we get to a highlight in the whole run, but it’s still tiny and weak.

Monday morning the 10th offers another small window: 3 ft from the SSW, period only 5 seconds, but again with a clean cross-off wind from the west. Energy is 43. Still not great, but the best swell height we see for over a week.

After that, from Monday afternoon onward, it’s back to tiny, choppy, onshore junk. The combined energy drops into the teens and tens. By the 13th of August, Thursday morning, there’s a glassy morning with a 1 ft S swell and a 4-second period – only 6 energy units. It’s flat calm but there’s literally no wave to ride.

The last few days of the forecast, into the 14th of August, offer no hope. The winds are strong and cross-onshore or the swell is practically non-existent.

There are no standouts here. The best on offer is that Sunday morning the 9th and Monday morning the 10th, but even then, you’re looking at knee-high, weak waves. If you’re an absolute beginner wanting a splash, maybe, but for anyone else? Save your energy. Given how weak and onshore it gets, this spot looks more set up for a kite than a paddleboard on most days.

Rusty.

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