The Wharf Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Well, I’ve had a good look at what’s on the cards for the Wharf, and I’ve got to be straight with you – it’s a pretty grim run for the next couple of weeks. This is a reef setup that’s exposed to the swell, and it’s consistent when it turns on, but the wind gods just aren’t playing ball. For the whole 16-day outlook, we’re looking at poor surf conditions across the board, so there’s no true standout session to get excited about.

The main issue is that relentless east to southeasterly wind. It’s blowing fresh for most of the forecast – between 15 and 22 mph – and it’s almost always onshore or cross-onshore. That means bumpy, choppy, lumpy water, which just kills the wave quality on a reef like this. The water temperature is sitting at 81°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

We start off on Saturday, the 29th of August, with a 6 ft swell from the ESE, but with a short period of 8 seconds and strong east winds at 22 mph, it’s a mess. That combo energy reading is 713, which is moderate, but it’s not doing us any favours. That pattern sticks for the first few days – Sunday the 30th sees a drop to 3 ft but with a long-period 17-second south swell, which would be nice on a point break, but here it’s just messy with the cross-onshore breeze. The energy on Sunday morning is 694, again moderate.

There’s a real gap here with no good surf. The whole first week is a write-off. Every single update says “poor surf conditions” and scores a zero. By the time we hit the second week, things don’t improve.

On Saturday, the 5th of September, we see a spike in energy – 1604 for the morning, which is strong, with a 5 ft south swell at 17 seconds. But the wind is still a fresh 19 mph cross-onshore. That’s powerful water, but it’ll be a washing machine. And for that size – over 5 ft – it’s getting a bit much for beginners, especially with the wind.

From Monday the 7th onwards, it’s more of the same: rain showers, fresh onshore wind, and small swell around 2 ft to 2 ft. The energy drops back to moderate levels – 285 to 414 – but the conditions are still poor. The period on those south-west swells is around 14 to 16 seconds, but the wind just ruins it.

Towards the very end of the outlook, on Wednesday the 9th and Thursday the 10th of September, we get a bit of a bump – 6 ft to 6 ft from the ESE, with periods of 7-8 seconds. Those are short, weak wind swells. The combined energy is moderate (661 and 642), but again, with 19-22 mph onshore winds, it’s a no-go. That’s getting into the 6 ft range, so it’s expert-only territory, and the wind would make it dangerous.

Honestly, mate, there isn’t a single day in this entire forecast that I’d recommend. If you were desperate, the Saturday afternoon of the 5th has the biggest energy, but the set-up looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. We’ll have to wait for a change in the wind.

Rusty.

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