The Window Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s happening at The Window. This is a reef setup for advanced surfers, and it’s fairly consistent, but man, the wind is going to be the enemy for most of this run. The swell is coming from the southwest, which is the optimum direction, but for the first week and a half, the wind is just going to mess things up.

The water temperature is sitting right around average for this time of year, so nothing unusual to report there.

The first real chance of anything decent doesn’t come until Friday afternoon, September 4th. We’ve got a solid 15ft swell from the west-southwest, and the wind eases off to a gentle breeze. The combined energy is pumping at 7399, which is strong. The problem is it’s still cross-onshore, so it’ll be a bit choppy, but it’s one of the first moments where the score is telling me it’s “marginal” rather than a total write-off.

The big standout, the one you’re waiting for, hits on Saturday, September 12th. That morning is the pick of the entire forecast. The swell is a beefy 20ft from the west-southwest, with a period of 16 seconds – that’s proper groundswell, long lines. The combined energy is huge at 16310. But the real magic is the wind: a light north-northeasterly breeze, cross-offshore, and the wave state is described as “clean”. That’s rare in this forecast. This is a day for experts only – 20ft is way too big for anyone but the most experienced. It’s going to be a mental session at The Window, but you’ll need to be on your game.

The afternoon of the 12th is still good, with 18ft swell and the same gentle breeze, but it switches to cross-on, so it’ll be a bit less perfect.

Before that, there are long gaps. The Monday the 31st through to Thursday the 4th is mostly onshore slop. The wind is howling from the west-northwest at 15-25 mph, making it “poor surf conditions” day after day. The swell is there – 8ft to 12ft – but it’s messy.

Then from Monday the 7th, the swell gets huge. The Monday afternoon of the 7th has a 16ft swell with a 23-second period – that’s an incredibly long period groundswell – and the combined energy is 40178, which is very strong. The wind is moderate, but it’s onshore, and the notes say it’s too big for this break. That’s a washout for paddle surfing, but if you’re into kiting, those big, clean lines might be perfect.

The Tuesday the 8th is a decent consolation with 15ft swell and a gentle breeze, but it’s still cross-onshore, so not as clean as the 12th.

After the 12th, it goes back to onshore wind and messy conditions from the 13th through the 15th. The 15th of September has a limp 8ft swell with a light cross-onshore breeze, but it’s nothing special.

So, bottom line: the last week of the forecast is a total write-off wind-wise. The one true standout, the day to circle on the calendar, is Saturday morning, September 12th. Get on it early.

Rusty.

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