Venus Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Venus Bay is looking at a bit of a mixed bag over the next 16 days, but there are a few windows where it’ll come alive. The water’s sitting at 60°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so nothing out of the ordinary there.

The main pattern is that we’ve got a solid, long-period SW groundswell trying to push through, but clean conditions are going to be the real challenge. The combined swell energy is moderate to strong for most of the run, hitting 378 on Sunday morning, but it's the wind that’ll make or break it.

Let's start with the best of the bunch. Monday the 31st of August, the afternoon session is the standout. Swell is a solid 5ft from the SW, period of 18 seconds – that's proper groundswell with heaps of push. The combined energy is strong at 1861. The wind is light and cross-off from the north, so it’s going to be glassy and clean. That’s an excellent wave for experienced surfers, but with that size and long period, it’s not for the groms. The 5ft might be a bit much for beginners, and the long period can make the reef break a bit more critical.

The other one to circle is Wednesday the 9th of September, first thing in the morning. We’ve got a 5ft SW swell, period of 16 seconds, with a light offshore breeze from the east. Combined energy is strong at 1480. That’s clean, offshore, and the reef should be handling that swell nicely. Another excellent session for the more experienced crew.

There are a few other mornings that look promising, but the wind is the issue. The morning of the 10th of September has a 4ft SW swell with a light offshore from the NE, giving a gentle offshore and clean look. Combined energy is 759. That’s a nice, manageable size for a beginner-plus reef, and the offshore wind is a major positive for clean faces.

Now, the gaps. There are some rough days in between. The run from the 1st to the 6th of September is mostly blown out or onshore, with strong winds and poor surf. The 5th and 6th are particularly nasty with strong onshore wind and messy waves. After the 9th of September, the 11th of September morning has a 6ft SW swell with a 19-second period and cross-off wind, but it’s only marginal. The size is getting up there, and the wind is not fully offshore, so it’s a bit of a gamble.

The long-period nature of these swells (often over 15 seconds) means Venus Bay, as a reef break, should handle it well, giving you some nice, lined-up waves. But the crowds at Venus Bay can be an issue, as it’s 'sometimes' crowded, so you might want to get in early.

The second week of the forecast is looking patchy. The 12th and 13th have some clean-ish mornings, but the swell is smaller and the energy is dropping. The 14th of September is a write-off with strong onshore winds.

So, in summary: if you’re an experienced surfer, the Monday afternoon of the 31st of August and the Wednesday morning of the 9th of September are the ones to aim for. The 10th of September morning is a good call for the intermediate crew. The rest of the run is a bit of a wait-and-see.

Rusty.

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