Whale Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let's get into it. The next 16 days are a bit of a mixed bag for our local spot. We're going to see a slow start with some small, questionable waves, and then a solid pulse of big, raw swell rolls in. But the winds are going to be the real story, and for the most part, they’re not doing us any favours.

To kick things off, the best window is shaping up to be Sunday the 23rd of August into Monday the 24th. That's where the real action is. But before that, we've got a lot of waiting and watching.

The week starts off pretty flat. Monday the 17th morning has clean, glassy conditions with a tiny 1 ft swell from the SW—nothing to get excited about. The afternoon sees a small bump in height but with a cross-on wind, making it messy. Tuesday and Wednesday are a write-off with cross-shore winds and poor conditions. By Thursday the 20th, there's a bit of hope with a clean, cross-off shore wind, but it's still only a marginal 5 ft swell, so don't expect much.

The real standout is Sunday the 23rd of August. Whale Rock is going to be firing, but it’s for the brave only. We’re looking at a massive 15 ft SSW swell with a period of 14 seconds. That’s serious energy—the combined energy reading is 12080, which is absolutely pumping. The wind is a moderate cross-shore, which isn't ideal, but for that size, you’ll take whatever you can get. This is a heavy, powerful reef break, and with that kind of swell, it kicks hard and straight. It's strictly for advanced crew. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

Monday the 24th is also worth a mention, with an 12 ft S swell and an 18-second period rolling in. The period is very long, which means those waves will have a ton of energy and will be pitching hard. The cross-on wind will keep things a bit choppy, but the power is undeniable. This is another session for the experts only; beginners need to stay well clear of this.

Further down the line, Sunday the 30th of August has a big 10 ft SSW swell projected, but by then we’re two weeks out, so treat that as a promising whisper. The winds look like they might be clean, which would be a bonus.

Honestly, there’s a real gap here. The first week is mostly disappointing, and the second week is dominated by massive, expert-only conditions and plenty of cross or onshore winds. The few windows of clean wind don’t line up with solid swell. If the wind was offshore on that Sunday the 23rd, it would be an all-timer. As it is, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing for most of the run. Keep an eye on the forecast, because it tends not to stay poor for long.

Rusty.

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