Whale Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at the next couple of weeks for Whale Rock. Now, I’m not gonna lie to you, it’s looking like a bit of a waiting game. There’s a proper flat spell coming in after this first pulse, and then we’ve got some bigger, but messy, swells to deal with. The water’s sitting at a touch warmer than usual for this time of year, so that’s a small win while we’re sitting out the back.

We start things off on Thursday, August 20th. There’s some surf, around 6ft from the SSW, but it’s got a short, jumbled period of 7 seconds. The wind is a cross-off, so there’s some form to it, but the energy is moderate (795) and it’s just not coming together well. It’s a marginal call at best, and I’d probably give it a miss unless you’re really keen.

Friday the 21st is the standout of this first part of the period. The morning is the call. The swell drops slightly to 5ft from the SSW, but the period lengthens to a nice 13 seconds, and more importantly, it’s glassy. That’s a huge positive. The energy is still moderate (644), but those conditions are going to make it feel much better than the numbers suggest. Expect some clean, lined-up waves. The afternoon turns to a light cross-on, and it just loses its sparkle.

Saturday the 22nd starts off small but clean-ish with a gentle cross-shore, but it’s not worth your time. The afternoon is a complete write-off. A near gale whips up from the SSW, and it's pushing 12ft of short-period windslop. That is a full-on mess. The wave energy is strong (1454), but it’s all for the kiteboarders. This is not a paddle surf day.

Sunday the 23rd is back to marginal with a moderate cross-shore breeze and a jumbled 6ft swell. Monday the 24th has a brief window of tiny, glassy 3ft surf, but it’s pretty weak. The following stretch from the 25th through to the 31st of August is mostly poor. The wind is persistent from the NE and ENE, blowing onshore or cross-onshore and chopping everything up. There is a bit of a pulse on the 25th and 26th with bigger, longer-period SSW swell, but the wind just kills it. A long period swell (16 seconds) is best on a point or reef, but with this onshore wind, it’s just going to be lumpy.

Towards the end of the month, on the 30th, there’s a sudden jump in size for the afternoon with a 7ft S swell, but its period is a short 9 seconds and the wind is cross-onshore. It’s not going to be great.

The first week of September is a bit of a mess. The 31st has some size in the afternoon (8ft) but it’s from the east with a short 8-second period and a cross-shore breeze. Not great. Then there’s a dip, and the best of the long-range looks like the morning of Wednesday, September 2nd. We’ve got 6ft of SSW groundswell at a 14-second period, and the energy is strong (1203). It’s promising, but the wind is a gentle cross-onshore, which will put a bit of lump on it. It's a promising call from over a week out, but far from certain. After that, the wind is forecast to really howl from the SSW and SW on Thursday the 3rd, making things messy, before it drops off but leaves a gutless, small swell.

So there you have it. The glassy Friday morning is the one clear highlight early on. For the long range, keep an eye on that Wednesday, September 2nd morning. It could be a good one if the wind plays ball, but it’s a long way off. The rest is a case of picking through the scraps or finding something else to do.

Rusty.

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