38 Line Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, it’s Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – this 38 Line stretch is looking like a waiting game for the most part. We’ve got a long stretch of poor surf ahead before things finally turn on, but when they do, it’s got some real teeth.

The Long Wait

For the first week, from Saturday the 22nd to Sunday the 30th of August, it’s a dead loss. We’re talking flat, tiny surf with swell heights barely pushing 1ft, and the energy readings are in the dumps – mostly under 25. There’s a little bump of northeast wind-swell on Thursday the 27th, but it’s short-period junk at 7 seconds and cross-onshore, which does nothing but mess up the surface. The morning of Sunday the 30th has a slight cross-on breeze, though things clean up in the afternoon with a gentle offshore and some small waves, but it’s still not rideable. It’s a full week of nothing, which is a long time to be staring at the ocean.

The First Sign of Life

Monday the 31st of August rolls around, and we finally see a pulse. The morning brings in 3ft of northeast swell with an 8-second period. It’s nothing to write home about, and the combined energy is still weak at 94, and the conditions are just “ordinary”, but at least it’s glassy. After a week of nothing, this feels like progress. The wave quality is still poor, but it’s a start.

A Glimpse of Better Things

The energy starts to build on Tuesday the 1st of September. The morning brings a cleaner 4ft of east-northeast swell, and we see the energy jump up to 201 – that’s moderate power finally showing its face. The wind is a light cross-offshore, which should keep things tidy at this exposed spot (Thirty-eight-line). It’s not perfect, but it’s the best-looking surf since the start of the run. Wednesday morning the 2nd has glassy conditions and 3ft of northeast swell, but it’s not quite as clean. There’s still plenty of ordinary days in there, but you can see the gears starting to turn.

The Big One – Handle With Care

Now, let’s talk about Thursday the 3rd of September through to Saturday the 5th. This is where things get serious. The swell is set to jack up in a hurry. Thursday morning pushes 10ft of northeast swell, and the energy readings are massive – 972. By Thursday afternoon it’s up to 12ft, and Friday the 4th is a monster. We’re looking at a 20ft swell with a very long 12-second period, and the energy is reading at 10663 – that’s not a swell, that’s a freight train. There’s also a 15ft on Friday afternoon. To be clear, this is way too big for this break. It’s only for the most experienced chargers out there, and even then, it’s a risk. The short period of your standard beach break is gone, this is a serious groundswell.

The Payoff

After the beast passes, we get the real window. Saturday the 5th of September is your standout. The morning brings 8ft of north-northeast swell, still with a solid 11-second period. The energy is strong at 1474, but the sizes are back to a manageable level. The wind is light and cross-offshore, making for clean conditions. This is the one to point your board at. It’s going to be powerful, but it’s rideable, and it’s going to be the best quality surf of the whole period. Sunday the 6th settles down a bit, with 4ft of northeast swell and light cross-off winds, but it’s the previous morning that you want to be out for.

The first week is a write-off, so save your energy. But that weekend of the 5th and 6th of September looks like the pay-off. Get on it.

Rusty

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