Turtle Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts for Turtle Cove (Turtle-Cove) all morning. Let’s be honest with each other — this next couple of weeks is looking pretty grim. The water temperature is sitting about average for this time of year, so no excuses there, but the swell just isn’t showing up with any real energy.

The first recommendation we get is for Monday morning, the 31st of August. That’s a long wait from now with nothing but poor surf — a proper gap of a few days with no real options. Come Monday morning, we’re looking at a tiny 3 ft SSE swell, but with a shockingly short period of 5 seconds, so the combined energy is weak at just 59. The wind is a light WNW cross-off, so it’s clean, but honestly, it’s barely surfable and very ordinary. The afternoon glass-off is even smaller, so not worth paddling out.

Then we hit a real rough patch. From Tuesday the 1st of September through to the end of the week, the wind is howling onshore from the east and northeast, ramping up the swell height but absolutely destroying the quality. The combined energy climbs to a moderate 175 by Wednesday, then on Thursday the 3rd of September, we see a big 10 ft E swell with 1040 energy — strong, powerful stuff. But with the wind squarely onshore, it’s a mess. That’s expert-only territory, and even then, the conditions are ugly. For a break like Turtle Cove, a reef and point setup, that much onshore wind makes it more of a kite-surfing session than a clean paddle surf.

The following days don’t get much better. The swell drops back down, but the wind stays onshore or cross-onshore, keeping the surf lumpy and average. There’s a slight flicker on Tuesday the 8th of September — a light offshore WSW wind with a 4 ft SSE swell, period around 6 seconds, and combined energy of 101. It’s surfable but very ordinary. Clean, but weak.

The last few days into the second week are tiny and weak, with combined energy dropping to 24 by Friday the 11th of September. Offshore or light winds keep it clean, but there’s simply no power.

So, the standout? Honestly, there isn’t a true standout here. If I had to pick one window, it’s the Monday morning of the 31st of August — the only session where the wind is kind and the swell is just about big enough for a log. But that’s a stretch.

Hang in there, folks. Forecasts can change, and this area tends to bounce back.

Rusty.

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