Turtles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This is a pure reef set-up, solid but demanding, and it takes a bit of patience to get the really good windows.

The main story here is that we’ve got a long run of decent sized, long period SW to WSW groundswell, but the wind is going to be the main player. For the most part, the afternoons this week are a write-off with strong, lumpy cross-shore winds, so mornings are where it’s at. The real standout is coming up this Sunday, the 30th of August.

Let’s start with Wednesday morning, the 26th. We’ve got a 5ft swell from the SW, period around 14 seconds, but the wind is already cross-on from the WNW. It’s marginal, and the wave energy is already high (1124), so it’s a bit of a messy start. Not worth getting too excited about.

Thursday morning, the 27th, the swell is up to 10ft from the WSW, with a 16-second period. That’s a big, powerful groundswell and the energy is through the roof (4374). The wind is cross-off from the S, so the face might be clean, but that’s a serious power level. Over 8ft, this is strictly for experts only. The reef will be handling it, but it’s a heavy session.

Friday, the 28th, morning is similar, 8ft from the SW, 14-second period, cross-off from the SSE. Clean, but still a lot of energy (2350). The afternoon is a mess.

Now, the window we’re looking at. Sunday morning, the 30th of August. This is the pick of the whole 16 days. We’ve got a 6ft swell from the WSW, a very long 17-second period, and the wind is glassy from the SW. That’s a clean, glassy morning on a reef break. The energy is high (2001), but the period is so long, the sets will be well-spaced and defined. The wave quality is going to be excellent for experienced surfers. This is the one.

Monday morning, the 31st, is still okay, 6ft from the WSW, 16-second period, but the wind is cross from the S, so it’s not as clean. The energy is still high (2262). It’s a solid option, but not the standout.

The following week, into September, the pattern holds. Tuesday morning, the 1st of September, is a 6ft WSW swell, 16 seconds, with cross-off SSE wind. Clean, but the energy is still high (1512).

Wednesday morning, the 2nd of September, bumps up again to 8ft SW, 14 seconds, cross-off from the SSE. Clean, but heavy. That’s another one for the experts.

Then there’s a bit of a lull in quality towards the end of the first week of September, with lumpy, strong winds and poor conditions. The energy drops off a bit, but the wind is just not cooperating.

Looking further ahead, the second week has two more promising mornings. Sunday, the 6th of September, morning – 8ft from the SW, 13 seconds, with a cross-off NE wind. Clean, good energy (1919). That’s a solid morning.

But the real second-week highlight is Monday, the 7th of September. Glassy conditions from the NNE, 6ft SW swell, 13-second period. Clean and glassy. The energy is solid (1401). That’s a beautiful morning, but it’s a week and a half away, so we’ll keep an eye on the models.

And finally, the 10th of September, Thursday morning, is another interesting one. The swell drops to 4ft, but it’s from the W with a massive 21-second period. The wind is cross-off from the NE. That’s a very long period groundswell, and the energy is still high (2203) for the size. That’s a classic reef swell—very long lines, but it’ll be breaking straight at most beach breaks. At Turtles, it’ll likely wrap in nicely. That’s a promising, long-range potential.

So, the bottom line. The best on offer is Sunday morning, the 30th of August. Glassy, head-high plus, long period groundswell. That’s the one you wait for. The mornings of the 7th of September are also a very good shout if you can hold out for the second week, but it’s less certain that far out.

Crowds are listed as “often” here, and with a setup this good on a Sunday, you can expect plenty of company. It’s a consistent reef, so the locals will be out.

There’s a bit of a gap in the middle of the first week where the afternoons are a total mess and the mornings are just marginal, but the pattern overall is pretty active. It’s not a flat run.

Rusty.

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