Wilkes Pass Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Wilkes Pass over the next couple of weeks. This is a reef break that’s fairly consistent and exposed to the south-west, and right now the water’s sitting at 78.3°, which is about what you’d expect for this time of year. That’s nothing special, just your normal tropical warmth.

The next few days are going to be a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got some swell coming in, but the wind’s going to be a pain in the arse for a lot of it. The energy in the water is moderate to strong, with readings around 1153 on Tuesday afternoon, but it’s cross-onshore and choppy, so honestly, it’s not worth getting excited about. Wednesday morning shapes up much better. The wind drops right off, it’s glassy, and we’ve got a clean 4.3ft south-southwest swell with a 15-second period. That’s proper groundswell, and it’s going to be clean. The energy has dropped a bit to 730, but the quality is there. Wednesday afternoon is similar, a touch smaller at 3.9ft, but still glassy and looking fun.

Then Thursday and Friday get messy again. Wind picks up, it’s cross-shore and lumpy, and the swell drops into the 3ft to 3.9ft range with short, weak periods. The energy drops right down into the 300 to 500 range, and it’s just not worth the paddle. We’re looking at a real lull here, with some poor conditions and not much power.

Saturday the 12th sees a pulse of longer-period swell, 20 seconds, and the energy jumps right up to 2166 in the morning and 3156 in the afternoon. But the wind is fresh and cross-onshore, so it’s going to be lumpy and messy. Not a good look. Sunday the 13th is a different story altogether. The swell is up to 9.8ft with that long 17-second period, and the energy is massive – 5606 in the morning and 4840 in the afternoon. That’s a serious amount of water, but it’s too big for this break. It’s going to be a washing machine, and honestly, it’s more for the experts only, and even then, it might be too much. This is the standout size for the period, but it’s not going to be user-friendly.

The middle of next week, the 14th and 15th, we’ve still got a solid SW swell running, 6.9ft to 8.2ft, but the wind is cross to cross-off. The morning sessions on the 14th look clean with a cross-off breeze, but the afternoon gets a bit lumpy. The 15th has a similar story, with a clean morning but a bit of cross-chop in the afternoon. The energy is strong, 2807 to 4388, so there’s plenty of push. This is probably the best bet for the more experienced crew.

Wednesday the 16th, the morning glass is back with a light cross-off wind, and the swell is still a solid 5.9ft at 15 seconds. The energy is down to 1455, but it’s clean and has some push. This is another highlight – clean, powerful, and a lot more manageable than the weekend’s giant. The afternoon starts to go onshore again, so get it while it’s good.

After that, the 17th looks fun with a clean 4.6ft swell in the morning, but the energy is starting to fade. Then from the 18th onwards, we hit a proper slow patch. Friday the 18th is a write-off with strong winds and tiny, weak 2.6ft surf. The energy is down in the 292 to 349 range. There’s a brief pulse on the 19th with a 6.6ft swell and clean conditions in the afternoon, but the periods are a bit shorter and it’s not as consistent.

The final few days, from the 20th to the 23rd, are a real mixed bag. There’s some swell around, but the wind is mostly cross or cross-on, and the overall quality is marginal. The energy fluctuates between 500 and 2800, but it’s just not going to be clean or consistent enough to get me too excited. The run of good waves really ends after the 17th.

So, to sum it up: Wednesday the 9th is your standout for clean, albeit smaller, conditions. Then, for the bigger and more challenging stuff, the morning of Wednesday the 16th looks like the pick of the second week – a solid, clean groundswell without the terrifying size of the weekend before. Everything else is either too messy, too small, or too big. This isn’t a classic run for Wilkes, but there’s a couple of windows if you pick your moments.

Stay salty.

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