Wategos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – the next couple of weeks at Wategos are looking pretty average. We’ve got a long stretch of small, weak surf and not a whole lot of punch. The water temp is sitting right around that 68° mark, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The week kicks off on Wednesday the 5th with a tiny 2ft east-southeast swell, but a cross-on breeze messes it up – it’s not worth getting wet for. Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th are a bit cleaner with light offshore winds, but the swell is still only 2ft and pretty weak, with the combined energy barely pushing past 76. It’s surfable, but you’ll be hunting for a corner.

The weekend brings a slight bump. Saturday the 8th sees the swell build a little, up to 3ft in the morning and 4ft by the afternoon, with a period of 8-9 seconds. The energy jumps into the moderate range (131-214). It’s still nothing special, but it’s the most promising we’ve seen. Sunday the 9th, though, is a write-off – a strong north wind blows straight onshore all day, making a mess of the 4ft swell.

Monday the 10th has a bit more size, with a 5ft northerly swell in the morning, but the period is a short 6 seconds, so it’s going to be lumpy and weak. The wind is cross-off, so it might be clean, but it’s marginal at best. The energy reading is 293, which is moderate, but that short period will kill it.

From Tuesday the 11th through the middle of the next week, we’re back to tiny 2ft to 3ft waves. There are a few glassy moments – Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning the 12th are completely glassy with light winds, but the swell is just too small to get excited about. The energy drops right back down into the weak range (46-134). A few mornings have a light offshore touch, keeping things clean, but you’re just scratching for a waist-high ripple.

The period from the 13th to the 19th is a real grind. The swell stays small, mostly 2ft to 3ft, with periods around 9-10 seconds. There are some clean, offshore mornings, but the lack of size is the story. The combined energy is weak, mostly under 120. Don’t expect any waves with any push.

The one standout in the whole window is Thursday the 20th. In the afternoon, a new swell shows up – 6ft from the southeast with a much longer 11-second period. The combined energy jumps to 800, which is strong. But here’s the catch: the wind is howling from the north-northeast at 12 mph, blowing right onshore. It’s going to be a choppy, messy closeout. The morning is glassy but flat as a tack at 0.3ft. So even though the energy is there, the conditions will ruin it. It’s a case of so close, yet so far.

All in all, there’s nothing here that’s going to get your heart racing. If you’re desperate for a paddle, Saturday the 8th looks like your best bet – the swell is the most consistent and the wind is workable. But honestly, this is a fortnight for fixing your wetsuit and watching the cams. The second week is a write-off. I’d be sitting this one out.

Rusty.

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