Waverly Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’ve got a long stretch ahead, and honestly, it’s a quiet one for the most part.

The overall pattern is flat and small. For the first several days, the swell is just too weak to get excited about. The energy is low, and the winds aren't doing us any favours. The only spot on the radar is Waverly, a breakwater setup that’s very consistent and handles a fair bit of swell exposure. The water temp is sitting at 76°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s a nice bonus if you’re in the water.

From Saturday the 25th through to around Monday the 3rd of August, it’s pretty grim. We’re looking at wave heights mostly between 1ft and 3ft, with periods under 8 seconds – that’s short-period, weak windswell. The combined energy is well under 100 (e.g. 44 on the 25th, 92 on the 25th afternoon, 27 on the 1st of August) – just not enough oomph. Winds are mostly cross-onshore or onshore, keeping things choppy and messy. There’s a brief moment on the morning of Friday the 31st of July when it goes glassy with S wind at 0 mph, but the swell is still only 2ft from the SSE with an 8-second period – it’s clean but small and weak. A real close-out special.

Then, around Monday the 3rd of August afternoon, we see a little pulse. Swell height bumps to 5ft from the SSE, period 8 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 412 (moderate). The wind goes light and onshore from the ESE, so it’s not clean, but there’s a bit more push. The surf is still rated as marginal, not really worth a dedicated trip unless you’re desperate for a paddle.

The standout, if you can call it that, is that Monday the 3rd of August afternoon. The swell direction is from the SSE, which is pretty close to the optimum SE direction for Waverly. The swell is 5ft, period 8 seconds – that’s a short-period swell, but for a breakwater, it might offer a few dumpy, punchy waves. The wind is light onshore, so it’s not going to be pretty, but it’s the most energy in the whole window. It’s still not a great session, but it’s the best of a bad bunch.

After that, from Tuesday the 4th of August onwards, it drops back down to tiny, weak surf with energy values in the 20s and 50s. The occasional clean cross-offshore wind on the 6th and 7th of August won’t save it because there’s just no swell.

So, the bottom line: if you’re a beginner, this whole period is fine – the swell never gets above 5ft. For everyone else, there’s a very narrow window on the afternoon of Monday the 3rd of August when the swell nudges up to 5ft, but the quality is poor. It’s a long gap of nearly 10 days with nothing worth paddling out for. The breakwater at Waverly is consistent, but it needs a decent swell to work, and it’s just not getting it. Forecasts can change, but right now, this is a week and a half of small, choppy, forgettable surf.

Rusty.

Read more