Whale Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what we’ve got coming up. It's a mixed bag for Whale Rock, with a long quiet spell ahead before a couple of windows open up.

The whole start of this outlook is a write-off for any decent surfing. We’re looking at days of poor conditions from the 11th to the 14th of September. The onshore and cross-shore winds are gonna be messy, making for lumpy, choppy surf. There’s some swell energy, but the quality is just not there. You’d be better off staying home for that first stretch.

The first real glimmer comes on Tuesday the 15th of September. Early morning we get a bit of a gem. The wind goes glassy, and there’s a 7ft swell rolling in from the East with a period of 10 seconds. The combined energy is moderate-to-strong (950). This is where you want to be in the water. It’s a reef break, so it’ll handle that East swell better than a beach would, but keep in mind it’s an advanced spot and it can get a bit inconsistent. Also, it can get crowded sometimes. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing wild there. The afternoon sees the wind shift back onshore and the quality drops off, so get it while it’s good in the morning.

After that, we’re back to poor conditions until the morning of Thursday the 17th. That morning is another glassy window, with a 5ft south swell, period of 8 seconds. It’s a shorter period, but with no wind it’ll be clean and rideable. A solid option for a session.

Then we hit another rough patch. The following days are plagued by onshores and cross-shore winds, lumping up the surf. The energy is there, but the quality isn't.

Now, looking further out, there’s something that catches the eye but it's a bit of a gamble. On Sunday the 20th of September, we get a very long-period groundswell from the SSW, coming in at 7ft with a period of 19 seconds. The combined energy is massive (3556). That’s a lot of power, and that kind of period will make for some proper, lined-up waves. But, the wind is cross-shore and the surf forecast is described as marginal. For a reef break like Whale Rock, a long-period SSW swell is the optimum direction, so it could be incredible if the wind cooperates. However, with that period and that size, it will be very powerful and for experts only. It’s a promising outlook, but a week and a half out, treat it as a hopeful heads-up rather than a certainty.

Rusty.

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