Turtles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright mate, Rusty here with the imperial rundown.

First thing: the water is sitting at 73°F, which is about 1°F warmer than the long-term average for this time of year. Nothing too wild, just a touch on the mild side of normal.

The standout for the whole run is Turtles (reef break). This spot is exposed to the swell and it really loves a good SSW direction. The best session you’ll see is on Sunday morning, August 30th. We’ve got a solid 6ft of swell rolling in from the WSW, with a very long period of 17 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The wind is glassy, dead calm from the NNW at 3 mph, so the surface will be like a mirror. Conditions are excellent for experienced surfers, but that long-period swell will be lining up beautifully on this reef. Combined wave energy is strong at 1978. It’s a fairly consistent spot, but it can get crowded often, so get in early.

The rest of the week leading up to that is a mixed bag of cross-shore winds and lumpy conditions. Thursday morning, August 27th, has a big 8ft WSW swell with a 16-second period, but it’s a cross-shore 19 mph S wind, so it’s lumpy and marginal. The swell energy is very strong at 3419, but it’s not clean surf. Friday and Saturday are similar – okay swell but the wind messes it up.

After that Sunday glass-off, the outlook gets a bit messy again. Monday, August 31st, has a clean 7ft swell, but the wind is cross-on from the SW, which puts ripples on the face. Tuesday morning, September 1st, is worth a mention: 6ft WSW swell, 16-second period, with a clean cross-off SSE breeze at 9 mph. That’s a decent option for a quick session.

From Wednesday, September 2nd, through to the end of the first week, we see the swell drop a little, with wave heights around 4ft to 6ft, but the wind is still mostly cross or cross-shore, so it’s not perfect. The second week (starting around September 5th) brings a big pulse of 8ft to 10ft SW swell, but the wind turns onshore and strong – 28 mph on the afternoon of September 5th. That’s going to be a messy, powerful mess. At that size, with strong onshore wind, this beach-and-reef setup might be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Later in the second week, around September 8th and 9th, we get another clean morning window: 5ft to 8ft WSW swell with a 17-second period and a light cross-off SE breeze. That’s promising but less certain this far out. The combined energy is moderate to strong. The swell is still coming from the SSW/SW, which is good for Turtles.

Overall, the best bet is that Sunday morning glass-off at Turtles. Everything else is a fight with the wind. If you’re keen, go for it. If not, wait for the forecast to change.

Rusty.

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