Windansea Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on offer around here.

We're kickin' off with a bit of a flat spell, to be honest. The first real chance of a wave worth paddling for is on Saturday the 29th of August, down at Windansea. This is a classic reef break, so it's one for the advanced crew. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, nothing to write home about. The swell is a long-period groundswell from the SW at 4 ft, with a period of 16 seconds, giving us a moderate combined energy of 633. The wind is offshore from the W at 9 mph, which is a major positive – it'll keep the faces clean. But it's a marginal call, with questionable tide conditions, and the break is often crowded, so you'll have company. Saturday morning is the pick of the two sessions, but it's not a standout.

Sunday the 30th through to Friday the 4th of September is a real struggle. We're looking at small swell, mostly under 3 ft, with cross-onshore winds making things choppy. The combined energy drops away, getting as low as 312. It's a long stretch of poor to marginal conditions, with the best of a bad bunch being maybe Thursday the 3rd morning or Friday the 4th morning, with a bit more energy and offshore winds, but still only marginal.

Now, here's where it gets interesting. The real standout of the whole forecast is Monday the 7th of September. The swell jumps up to 6 ft in the morning, then 6 ft in the afternoon, from the SSW. The combined energy is strong at 1098 in the morning and 1319 in the afternoon. The period is 13 seconds, which is a solid groundswell. The wind is cross-onshore from the NNW at 6-9 mph, so it's not perfectly clean, but it's the biggest, most powerful swell we've seen. This is a promising one, but remember it's a week and a half out, so keep an eye on it. This swell is too big for beginners, so it's more for the experienced crew.

Tuesday the 8th of September has a bit of size too, with 7 ft in the morning from the SW, but the period is a shorter 10 seconds. The wind is a strong cross-offshore from the SSE at 25-28 mph – that's a strong breeze, and it'll be howling. The combo of strong wind and a beach-reef setup actually makes this look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

After that, the swell drops right off again. From Wednesday the 9th through to the end of the forecast on Sunday the 13th of September, we're back to small, weak waves, with combined energy as low as 206. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, so it's a poor end to the outlook.

So, to sum it up: the first week is flat, with the best bet being a very marginal session on Saturday the 29th. The real highlight is a promising, solid swell on Monday the 7th of September. After that, it fades out.

This is Rusty, signing off.

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