Windang Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it—the next week or so is pretty flat and frustrating for Windang Island. We’ve got a long stretch of small, choppy, or just ordinary surf. The first real glimmer of something decent doesn’t show up until Monday morning the 10th, and even then it’s a bit of a tease. Let’s get into it.

The week starts with absolutely nothing worth paddling out for. Friday the 7th afternoon is a write-off: tiny 2ft SSE swell with a weak 9-second period and a cross-onshore breeze making a mess of things. The combined energy is a paltry 94, so there’s just no power. Saturday the 8th morning is glassy but the swell is still only 2ft from the south with an 8-second period—surfable if you’re desperate, but really ordinary. That afternoon the wind swings onshore again and it’s back to choppy junk. Sunday the 9th is more of the same: small, cross-shore wind, and a bit of rain. Not good.

Monday the 10th morning is where things start to shift. The swell picks up to 6ft from the ENE (9 seconds) and the wind is clean, cross-off from the NW. The combined energy jumps to 546—moderate energy, finally. The surf is still a bit raw and marginal, but it’s the best we’ve seen. That afternoon the wind gets stronger from the WNW at 30 km/h, keeping it clean but the swell drops to 5ft. For a more experienced surfer, Monday morning is the pick of the first week.

Tuesday the 11th morning is small again at 3ft, but by the afternoon we get a nice 3ft south swell with a better 11-second period and offshore wind from the west. The energy jumps to 230, and the conditions are clean. That’s a fun little session if you’re keen on a small, clean wave.

The rest of the week is a mixed bag of small, windy, or messy conditions. Wednesday the 12th is tiny, Thursday the 13th morning is 5ft from the SSW but with a short 8-second period, and the afternoon jumps to a solid 7ft from the south with a good 11-second period and a massive 1085 combined energy. But the wind is cross-shore and choppy, so it’s not clean. That’s a big swell for the area—over 8ft, so it’s expert-only territory, and the cross-shore wind makes it a grindy, messy beast. Maybe more interesting for the kite crowd than paddle surfers. Friday the 14th morning is small and clean, but nothing special.

Now, the standout is a long way off. Saturday the 22nd of August morning is the real highlight. We’ve got a 10ft south swell with a 9-second period, glassy conditions with zero wind, and a combined energy reading of 1247—strong wave energy. The forecast says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers,” and that’s spot on. This is a big, powerful swell, and it’s going to be clean. The wind is glassy, so it’ll be a beautiful morning. But it’s over 8ft, so it’s only for experts. The swell direction is south, and Windang Island is a reef and point setup that loves an exposed SE swell, so south is close enough to work well. Crowds are possible—it’s marked as “sometimes” busy, so expect a few locals out there for a session like this. The afternoon of the 22nd, the wind swings onshore and the swell jumps to 12ft, but it’ll be choppy and messy, so the morning is the moment.

Overall, the first week is a write-off with a few small windows of clean, small surf. The only true standout is that Saturday the 22nd morning—mark it in your calendar, but be ready for a big, powerful wave. The water temperature is around 65°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Rusty.

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