Thompsons Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, checking in from the beach. Let’s look at what’s on the menu for the next couple of weeks.

Alright, Thompsons Bay (Thompsons-Bay). It’s a bit of a mixed bag looking ahead. The water is sitting at 71°, which is pretty much dead average for this time of year, so no surprises there. The first few days are a bit of a write-off, honestly. Friday morning and afternoon, Saturday, Sunday, and into Monday morning – the surf is just poor. The wind is a persistent cross-shore from the NE, not doing us any favours, and the waves are a mess. The swell energy is weak to moderate, with readings around 364 to 773, but it’s just not coming together. It’s a tough start.

Then things start to look up. Monday afternoon, the 17th of August, is where we might finally get a wave. The wind swings to the east at 6 mph, going glassy. That’s the key. The swell is 6 ft from the ENE with a 10-second period, and the energy jumps to 1029. It’s not huge, but with that glass, it’s going to be clean. The recommendation is for good surf conditions. This is the standout of the first week.

After that, it gets pretty quiet again. Tuesday through to the following Saturday, the 22nd, is mostly small and poor. The swell drops off, the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore, and the energy is low. There’s a good 5-day gap with nothing to get excited about.

But then, hold onto your board. Sunday morning, the 23rd of August, we get a serious pulse. The swell jumps to 8 ft from the SSW, with a very long period of 16 seconds. The energy is massive, hitting 2555. This is a proper groundswell. The wind is light cross-onshore from the east, so it might be a bit lumpy, but with that much energy, it’s going to be powerful. The afternoon gets even bigger, with the swell dropping slightly to 7 ft but the period stretching to 19 seconds and the energy going through the roof at 5181. That’s strong to very strong energy. The wind is a cross-shore from the NE at 16 mph, so it’ll be a bit chopped up, but for the experienced crew, this is going to be a session. At 7 ft to 8 ft, it’s definitely in the expert zone. Keep in mind that with a 16-19 second period, it’s a long-period groundswell. At a sheltered spot like Thompsons Bay, it should really wrap in and offer some proper lines, but it might be more of a point or reef setup than a beach break. This is a long-range call, so keep an eye on it.

Monday the 24th still has some decent energy, 5 ft from the SSW but the wind is a bit stronger and cross-onshore, so the quality drops. The rest of the week into the 29th is mostly poor again, with onshore winds and messy conditions.

So, to sum it up: the best surf on offer is the glassy Monday afternoon, the 17th, for a clean, fun-sized wave, and then the big SSW groundswell on Sunday the 23rd for the experts. Don’t get too excited about anything else in between.

Rusty.

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