30th Street/Ship Bottom Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Look, I've gotta be straight with you – the next 16 days at 30th Street/Ship Bottom are looking flat and pretty grim. There's just nothing on offer for the foreseeable future, so don't bother getting your hopes up.

The water is a balmy 77°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, running about 4° above average. That's a real standout, but it's about the only thing going for us.

We're looking at a long stretch of tiny, weak swell. The first week, from Wednesday morning 19 August right through to Saturday 29 August, is a total write-off. The swell barely kicks above 1ft to 3ft, with periods mostly under 10 seconds, and the combined energy is weak, sitting between 20 and 74. It's a mix of light onshore, cross-off, and glassy conditions, but the waves are just too small and gutless to bother with. Every single session is rated as "poor surf conditions." Even the clean mornings with light offshore or glassy winds can't save it – there's just no wave energy to work with.

Things stay flat through the end of August and into September. The morning of Sunday 30 August starts glassy with a 2ft SE swell, period of 9 seconds and weak energy (44), but it's still a dud. The first real sign of life doesn't pop up until Monday 31 August morning, when the swell bumps to 2ft from the SE, period 9 seconds, and the combined energy climbs to 101 – that's the first time we see triple-digit energy. It's described as "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions," and with a clean cross-off wind, it's at least a paddle. But honestly, it's still tiny.

The afternoon of 31 August and into Tuesday 1 September sees the energy climb to 165 and 169, with the swell period stretching to 12-13 seconds, which is a longer-period groundswell. That's a positive, but the swell height stays at 1ft to 3ft, so it's still not going to give you much. The wind is offshore or cross-off, keeping things clean, but the size is just not there.

The surf drops off again after that, with the first week of September serving up more poor conditions, onshore winds, and weak energy. By Thursday 3 September, we're back to fresh cross-onshore winds and lumpy, messy 2ft to 2ft surf.

So, the bottom line: there are no good surf options in this 16-day window. The whole forecast is a dead zone. Every break is "poor surf conditions" or "surfable but very ordinary." It's a blank run, and that's the reality for this area sometimes. The only thing that might be worth a look is the period from Monday 31 August morning through Tuesday 1 September afternoon, when the energy picks up and the winds are clean, but the waves are still tiny. Don't hold your breath. Forecasts can change, but right now, it's a complete write-off.

Rusty.

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