Turtles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’ve only got one spot on the radar for this 16-day stretch, and it’s a proper reef setup that’s going to dish out some serious swell, but you’ll need to pick your moments carefully.

The real action is at Turtles (reef), an exposed, advanced-level reef break that’s fairly consistent. It’s dialled in for a solid SSW swell direction—perfect for this spot. Right off the bat, on Wednesday, August 12th, we’ve got a strong pulse of groundswell rolling in. The morning is already looking clean with a fresh offshore breeze from the east, but the tide is making things a bit marginal. The afternoon, though, is where it gets tasty: 8ft of SW swell, a 16-second period, and a moderate offshore wind from the ESE. The wave energy is proper (2516), and the conditions are excellent for experienced surfers. This is a standout session.

The swell holds through Thursday, August 13th, with 6ft to 6ft of SW groundswell, but that morning wind is a cross-off from the ENE, which is still clean. The afternoon is better with a gentle cross-off from the SSE. Friday, August 14th sees a bump in size to 7ft with a very long 17-second period from the SW. The morning is clean with a light cross-off breeze, but the tide is a bit tricky. The afternoon goes more cross-shore, so it gets a little lumpy. Still, that long-period groundswell is going to wrap in beautifully at this reef, with epic energy (2743 in the morning).

The pick of the whole run, though, might be Sunday, August 16th. The morning is glassy—zero wind. The swell is a solid 5ft of SW groundswell, with a 13-second period. The wave energy is moderate (664), but with glassy conditions, this is going to be silky smooth and absolutely perfect for a long session. The afternoon gets ruined by onshore wind, so get in early.

After that, we get a bit of a sloppy patch. Monday, August 17th and into the week have bumps in size (7ft to 10ft), but the wind is mostly cross-onshore or choppy, making it pretty poor. The standout window returns on Tuesday, August 18th morning: 8ft of WSW groundswell, a 17-second period, and a light cross-off breeze from the SSE. The wave energy is massive (4172), and the conditions are excellent for advanced surfers. This is a big, powerful groundswell—long period, so it’ll be a bit walled up at the beach, but at Turtles reef, it’s going to be a freight train. The afternoon is a blowout again.

We get a few more clean mornings in the second week: Wednesday, August 19th morning (8ft, 16-sec, cross-off), Thursday, August 20th morning (10ft, 16-sec, cross-off—huge, expert-only territory), and Friday, August 21st morning (8ft, 14-sec, cross-off). Each of these mornings has that clean cross-off wind, but the afternoon winds are consistently onshore or cross-onshore, turning it into a choppy mess. The swell is big and strong, but the wind is the enemy after lunch.

The last call for a decent morning is Saturday, August 22nd: 7ft of WSW groundswell with a very long 20-second period, and a cross-off from the SSE. The wave energy is through the roof (4703), but the wind is a fresh breeze, so it’s still clean. That’s a proper, powerful, long-period groundswell—best for a reef like this.

From Sunday, August 23rd all the way through Wednesday, August 27th, the quality drops off. The wind is either cross-shore, cross-onshore, or just too strong, with a few clean mornings that are too small (4ft) or have poor scores. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, so no worries there.

The bottom line: The best windows are the mornings of August 12th (afternoon), August 16th (morning glass), and August 18th (morning). That Sunday the 16th with glassy conditions is the one to circle on your calendar—it’s going to be a dream. The mornings of the 19th, 20th, and 22nd also have potential, but that’s proper big-wave territory for experts only. Crowds are likely at Turtles, so get there early.

Rusty.

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