204 Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the table for 204.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the next few days are looking pretty grim. We've got a bit of swell in the water, around 3 ft from the SSW, but it's coming with a cross-on wind that's just messing it all up. The water's warm, real warm – 76°F with an 8°F anomaly, which is super unusual for this time of year, but that's about the only highlight. The combined energy is weak (329), and it's just not doing anything for us. The report calls it "poor surf conditions" and I can't argue with that. The whole first week, from Sunday the 9th through to about Saturday the 15th, is a write-off. We're seeing small swells, mostly 2 ft to 3 ft, but the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore, and the wave quality is consistently poor or just marginal. It’s a rough start.

Things start to look a little more interesting around Saturday the 15th afternoon. The swell bumps up a touch to 4 ft from the SSW, and the combined energy jumps to a moderate 806. It's still a bit onshore, but it's the first sign of life. Sunday the 16th morning keeps that 3 ft swell going, but the wind is still a cross-on, so it's nothing to get too excited about. The pattern of small, messy surf just keeps rolling through the middle of the week, right up to the 22nd.

The standout moment in this whole 16-day stretch? Honestly, it's the morning of Saturday the 22nd of August. We get a long-period groundswell rolling in from the SW at 1 ft, but get this – the period is 21 seconds. That is a very long period, meaning those waves are going to have some serious energy behind them for the size, and they'll be super clean, peeling lines. The wind is light and onshore from the WSW, so it won't be glassy, but the swell direction is a perfect match for the optimum. For a spot like this that's exposed to the SSW, this is a rare, quality window. This is one for the patient surfer who knows what a long-period groundswell can do. The combined energy is weak (283), but for the wave shape and quality, it's our best bet. Keep in mind, because it's over a week away, this is a promising one but far from locked in.

After that, it fades back into small, messy conditions through to the end of the period on the 24th. Honestly, for the next 16 days, there’s only one true window where I’d say it’s worth paddling out, and that’s that Saturday the 22nd morning.

Rusty.

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