Whale Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s have a good hard look at what’s coming up for Whale Rock. This is a tricky little reef set-up for advanced surfers only, and it’s inconsistent, so when it works, you better be on it.

We’ve got a bit of a slow start, nothing really worthwhile until the morning of Sunday the 23rd of August. Even then, it’s marginal, with a 8ft SSW swell but a cross wind making things a bit lumpy. The afternoon cleans up a little with lighter cross-off winds and a 5ft S swell, but it’s still only just surfable.

Monday the 24th of August is where it gets interesting. The morning looks magic with glassy conditions, light offshore E wind, and a small 2ft SSW groundswell with an 11-second period. That long period will give the reef some proper shape, even if the size is small. The combined swell energy is only 248 (moderate), so it’s not a big day, but the conditions will be clean as a whistle. This is the standout of the first week for sure.

Tuesday the 25th sees the swell pick up to 5ft to 5ft from the SSW, with a very long 15 to 17-second period, meaning proper groundswell. The wind stays cross, so there’s a bit of texture, but the energy is ramping up – 869 on Tuesday morning and 1461 (strong) by the afternoon. This is a good window for the more experienced crew.

Wednesday the 26th has a bit more size, 6ft to 8ft, but the wind goes cross-on, and by the afternoon it’s getting choppy. The morning still has some merit with light winds and a 6ft SSW swell from a long 17-second period, but the rain and cross-on breeze spoil it a bit.

From Thursday the 27th all the way through to the morning of Thursday the 3rd of September, it’s a write-off. Strong winds, mostly cross-on from the NE, with lumpy and messy conditions. There’s a bit of swell here and there, but the wind kills it. That’s a full week of poor surf. Not worth paddling out.

Things start to look up again on Friday the 4th of September. The morning shows a 8ft SSW swell with a 10-second period, and crucially, very light cross wind. The combined energy is 1461 (strong). That’s a big, powerful swell, over 8ft, so it’s expert-only territory, but with barely any wind, the reef should hold some proper waves.

Saturday the 5th of September is the real standout of the whole forecast. The afternoon session is the pick: 7ft SSW swell with a 14-second period, light S cross wind, and 1877 (strong) combined energy. The wind is light cross, which means the waves will be clean and well-shaped. The water temp is about 70°, which is near normal for this time of year. This is the one to circle on the calendar.

Sunday the 6th of September stays solid, with 10ft SSW swells and a long 14-second period, but the wind is cross to cross-on, so it won’t be as clean as Saturday afternoon. Still, the energy is huge – over 3300 – so if you’re an expert and don’t mind a bit of chop, there’ll be some serious power out there.

Overall, the best bet is Saturday the 5th of September afternoon. That’s the cleanest, biggest, most consistent window with good swell direction matching the reef’s optimum S direction. Monday the 24th of August morning is a close second for pure glassy conditions.

Rusty.

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