The Wharf Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, it’s a pretty grim outlook for the whole 16-day window. We’ve got a long stretch of poor surf conditions ahead, with the first real sign of something worth getting wet for not showing up until the 30th of August. That’s over a week of nothing but chop and onshore slop. The Wharf (The-Wharf_2) is a consistent reef break that loves a south swell, but we’re just not getting the right combo of wind and energy for a clean ride.

For the first week, from the 22nd through to the 29th of August, it’s all poor surf. Winds are hammering from the ESE and SE at 15 to 22 mph, straight onshore or cross-onshore, and the wave state is either unknown or described as “moderate cross-onshore and choppy”. Swell heights bounce between 3 ft and 6 ft, but with those winds, it’s just messy. The combined wave energy is moderate to strong (values between 440 and 1128), but it’s all wasted. The water temp anomaly is listed as “-”, so it’s about average for this time of year.

The first glimmer of anything is on the 30th of August, Sunday morning. We get a 6 ft SSE swell with a period of 9 seconds, and the combined energy hits 1099, which is strong. But it’s only rated as “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions”. The wind is ESE at 12 mph, still onshore and creating chop. It’s a low-score option, but it’s the first real pulse.

The next and only true standout in this entire period shows up on the 5th of September, a Saturday morning. The swell jumps to 7 ft from the south with a period of 14 seconds – that’s a proper long-period groundswell, which means good shape and power, but at a beach/reef break like The Wharf, it might break a bit too straight. The combined energy is 2643, which is very strong. The wind is from the SE at just 9 mph, a gentle breeze, and it’s listed as “on” (offshore). That’s the key: light offshore wind will make it clean. The catch is that it’s 7 ft, which is getting into expert territory, and the rating is still “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions”. Crowds at The Wharf are listed as “sometimes”, so you could get it with a few others, but it’s the only day that looks worth paddling out for. The afternoon goes cross-onshore and chops it up, so the morning window is the one.

The rest of the forecast after that is more of the same: onshore winds and poor conditions. So, if you’re waiting, the 5th of September is your best bet, but keep an eye on the tides because it’s only a marginal call.

Rusty.

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