Westport-The Groins Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for Westport-The Groins. It's a beach and jetty setup, sheltered from the swell, and it's a beginner-friendly spot. The water temp is sitting around 62°F, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year.

To be honest, the next week and a half looks pretty grim. We are looking at a long stretch of poor surf conditions from the 7th of August right through to the 12th. There's some small swell in the water, but the wind is consistently cross or cross-onshore, and the wave comment is all "poor surf conditions". The energy is mostly weak to moderate, with the combined energy values sitting between 139 and 398. It's just not doing anything for me.

The first real glimmer of a chance comes on the morning of Wednesday, the 13th of August. The wind swings around to a light cross-offshore from the SW, and the wave comment actually says "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions". The swell is a weak 4 ft from the WNW, but with a short period of 7 seconds, so it's not going to have much punch. The combined energy is 238, which is moderate. It's not a standout, but it's the best we've seen in a week. The rest of that day gets chopped up again, so if you're keen, you'd have to get out there early.

After that, we're back into the doldrums with poor conditions and cross-onshore winds for the next several days. The surf quality is just not there.

Now, hold on to your boardies, because things get a little wild in the second week. On the 18th of August, we see a significant jump in size. The Monday afternoon has a 6 ft swell from the W with a long period of 14 seconds, and the combined energy is a massive 1503 – that's strong wave energy. But the wind is a moderate cross-onshore, so the wave comment is still "poor surf conditions". This is a big, powerful, and messy groundswell.

Then, on the morning of Wednesday the 19th of August, we get the biggest swell of the whole forecast. We're looking at a 7 ft W swell with a period of 12 seconds and a combined energy of 1377. Again, the wind is cross-onshore, leaving it marginal. This is a lot of water, and with that period, it's going to be a powerful, surging groundswell. At this size, over 8 ft, it's for experts only, and this is close. The cross-onshore wind will make it a real battle. For a beach and jetty spot, this setup might actually be more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, because the swell is going to be walled up and the wind is going to add a lot of chop.

The best bet in the entire 16-day window, if you can call it that, is the Thursday morning of the 13th of August. The wind is light and clean, the surf is surfable, but it's only a very ordinary, weak 4 ft. It's a slim window, but it's the only clean one we've got.

Signing off, Rusty.

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