Turtle Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the pipe for Turtle Cove. Gotta be straight with you – the next 16 days are a real mixed bag, and honestly, there’s a whole lot of nothing in there. We’ve got a big gap of poor surf before a couple of windows open up, but it’s not going to be one for the highlight reel.

The pattern starts off pretty flat. From Monday the 7th right through to the end of the first week, we’re looking at tiny, weak swell. The combined energy is barely a whisper, sitting in the 13 to 41 range. The wind is mostly cross-off which keeps it clean, but the waves are just too small – 1 ft to 1 ft – to get excited about. It’s a real struggle for any kind of ride.

Then we get a spike on the 10th of September. Thursday morning and afternoon sees a jump in swell height to 7 ft coming from the SSW, with a short period of 7 seconds. The combined energy shoots up to 419 to 431, which is solid. But here’s the kicker: the wind is a strong cross-off, gusting 28 mph, and the surf description says "poor surf conditions". That’s a lot of water moving around but it’s going to be messy and blown out. For a reef and point setup like Turtle Cove, that short period at 7 ft is going to be a bit of a washing machine. It’s not beginner territory at that size, but with the wind, only the experienced crew will be out there, and even then, it’s not ideal.

After that, we drop back into the doldrums. From Friday the 11th through to the 20th of September, it’s mostly poor surf with tiny swell and combined energy under 100. There’s a brief moment on the afternoon of the 11th where the wave comment says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions" with a score hinting at something, but the swell is only 2 ft and the energy is weak at 60. Not worth paddling out for.

The first real standout, and I mean the *only* true standout in this whole 16-day window, is on Monday the 22nd of September. Tuesday morning the 22nd – yes, that’s over two weeks away, so mark it on the calendar but don’t hold your breath – we get a morning of clear skies, light offshore wind from the W at 6 mph, and a clean 4 ft swell from the E. The combined energy is only 84, so it’s not a big swell, but the wind is offshore and glassy. For Turtle Cove, which is a reef and point break, that light offshore wind and the clean conditions are the big positives. The swell is a bit short at 5 seconds, but it will be rideable and clean. It’s the kind of morning where you can get a few fun ones if you’re not picky. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no wild surprises there.

The other half-decent window is on Sunday the 20th of September. The afternoon shows a 6 ft swell from the SW, period at 6 seconds, and combined energy up to 262. The wind is cross-off from the NW at 19 mph, which will keep it cleanish, but the period is short. It’s a bit of a lumpy option, but it’s the only other time the swell gets above 5 ft without being completely blown out. Still, it’s not a standout.

So, to sum it up: the next week and a half is basically a write-off. You’ve got a big, windy, messy spike on the 10th that’s more for the hardcore or the kite surfers than the average paddler. The real window is the 22nd of September, with a clean, offshore morning. That’s your best bet, but it’s a long way off and the energy is low. Keep your eyes on the charts, but don’t make any plans.

Rusty.

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