Turtles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at this run of charts for Turtles for a good while now. Let’s cut through the noise and talk about what’s actually gonna get you wet.

The first proper surf we’re looking at is on Friday afternoon, August 7. It’s not a total write-off, but it’s a tricky one. The water’s sitting at 74°F right now, which is about average for the time of year, so nothing weird there. We’ve got a solid 7ft groundswell out of the WSW with a very long period of 16 seconds, pushing a lot of energy (2495). That’s the kind of swell that carries serious weight, but it’s coming in under a light cross-shore breeze, which will leave a bit of texture on the face. It’s a reef break (Turtles), so that long period energy will wrap in nicely, but with the wind being cross, it’s not gonna be glassy. The score’s not amazing, but it’s the first window.

The real standout is Sunday morning, August 9. No doubt about it. The swell is a solid 12ft from the SW, period 17 seconds, and the combined energy is massive at 6179. That’s a lot of ocean moving. The wind is a clean cross-off from the SE at 19 mph, so the faces will be clean and lined up. This is a big, powerful groundswell – over 8ft, so it’s strictly for experienced surfers. Beginners, stay on the beach for this one. It’s the best on offer in the whole forecast, no question.

Sunday afternoon stays good too, with 10ft still on the SW and a lighter cross-off breeze. Clean, but the energy is still huge (5733). Monday morning, August 10, drops a little to 8ft, but the wind turns light and cross, so the surface will be a bit rippled. Nothing special.

The next big chance comes on Tuesday afternoon, August 11. The swell jumps back up to 13ft from the SW, period 17 seconds, and the energy reading is 8568 – that’s a serious amount of power. The wind is a fresh cross-off from the SSE at 22 mph, so it’ll be clean but windy. Again, expert-only territory.

Thursday morning, August 13, things get interesting in a different way. The swell drops to 7ft from the SW, period 14 seconds, but we get a moderate offshore wind from the E at 16 mph. That’s clean, offshore, and the report says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” The energy is moderate (1826), but the quality will be high. Friday morning, August 14, is similar – 7ft, 17-second period, offshore from the E, and clean. That’s a good window for a well-shaped wave.

Saturday morning, August 15, has a gentler offshore from the ENE at 9 mph, with 6ft of SW swell. It’s cleaner, but smaller. Not a standout, but a nice session.

There is a gap of poor conditions from Saturday afternoon, August 15, right through to Tuesday morning, August 18. The wind is onshore, cross-onshore, or just messy, and the scores drop to zero. Skip it.

Then we get a real treat on Wednesday morning, August 19. The swell is 8ft from the WSW, period 16 seconds, and the wind is glassy – literally, the report says “glassy.” That is a major positive. The combined energy is 3157, so there’s heaps of push. The conditions are “excellent for experienced surfers.” This is the second standout of the whole forecast. Glassy, powerful, and clean. If you can get out, do it.

Thursday morning, August 20, has a clean cross-off breeze, but the wind is lighter and the swell is 8ft. It’s okay, but not a standout.

The last few days fade out. Friday morning, August 21, has 6ft with a moderate cross-off, but by the afternoon it’s getting lumpy. Saturday morning, August 22, is down to 3ft and weak (511 energy), and then a weird spike of 4ft from the W with a 17-second period in the afternoon, but the wind is a mess.

So, to wrap it up: the best on offer is Sunday morning, August 9, with that huge 12ft SW groundswell and clean cross-off wind. The second standout is Wednesday morning, August 19, for the glassy, powerful 8ft swell. Everything else is either too windy, too big for the average punter, or just fading. Turtles is a reef, so it’s not a beginner’s wave anyway, and it’s fairly consistent, so it’s not a total blank run. But pick your windows carefully.

Rusty.

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