Wategos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, Rusty here. Let’s look at what’s on offer for Wategos.

Honestly, it’s a pretty lean run. The first week and a half is mostly tiny, weak, and messy. You’ll be waiting a while for anything worth paddling out for. The real standout is a bit of a late-week surprise, but it comes with a catch.

The Outlook

The first few days – Tuesday the 8th through to the end of the following week – are a write-off. We’re looking at tiny 0.3ft to 1ft dribble with next to no energy (combined energy in the 7 to 30 range). The wind is either offshore or cross-offshore, so the water will be clean, but there’s just no power to push a wave. You’ll be floating around on a millpond.

Then, Saturday the 12th morning brings a bit of a pulse. Swell jumps to 7ft from the SE with a short period of 7 seconds, and the combined energy hits 550. That’s moderate energy. It’s a bit of a jumble, though – the wind is cross-offshore, so it’ll be clean, but that short period, steep swell is going to close out quickly on the beach. It’s a marginal call, and honestly, the tide might mess with it. The 4ft that afternoon loses the energy (104) and becomes ordinary.

Sunday the 13th is the pick of the bunch. The morning has 6ft of SE swell with a 9-second period, giving us healthy energy (636). The wind is a clean cross-off from the SE. This is the best wave window we’ve got. It’s not huge, but it’s got some push. Just be aware, Wategos is a point break that needs the swell to come from the optimum direction of NE. This SE swell is going to wrap in differently, so it might not be a classic, lined-up day. The afternoon drops off to 4ft and ordinary conditions.

The rest of the second week is a frustrating mix of small, onshore wind, or poor direction. A few days from the 20th to the 21st show 4ft to 5ft with clean conditions, but the energy is low (around 114-135) and the swell direction is from the north, hitting the beach with a period of 6 seconds. That’s just a weak, short-period windswell – surfable if you’re desperate, but very ordinary.

The Standout

Without a doubt, Sunday the 13th morning is the only real chance for a decent session. The 6ft SE swell is the biggest, cleanest option we’ll see. It’s not often this spot gets a pulse like that, so if you can get out there, do it. It’s a bit of a gamble on the direction, but it’s the best of a bad bunch.

Water Temp: The water is sitting at 69°F, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no wetsuit required.

A Note on the Swell: The 7ft swell on Saturday the 12th is over 5ft, so it’s getting a bit much for beginners. The 6ft on Sunday is pushing that limit too. After that, everything is under 5ft and fine for all levels.

Honestly, chalk the rest of the week up to a beach day. The surf is not happening.

- Rusty

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