Windansea Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty.

Let’s be honest, the next couple of weeks at Windansea are going to be a test of patience. There’s a lot of small, choppy, wind-blown slop on the menu, and nothing that’s going to have you scrambling for your board. We start off poor and stay poor for the bulk of the run.

Now, through the 2nd and into the 3rd, it’s pretty grim. We’re looking at tiny 1 to 2 foot southwest swells with periods around 13 to 16 seconds. The wind is mostly onshore from the west or southwest, which is doing us no favors. The energy is weak, with the combined swell energy at 157 on Sunday, bumping up to 199 on Monday morning, but it’s all for nothing with the wind chopping it up. The water is a balmy 74.7°, which is a whopping 7.2° warmer than normal for this time of year—that’s a serious anomaly and pretty unusual, so at least you won’t need a wetsuit jacket.

Tuesday the 4th and Wednesday the 5th are more of the same. Swells stay small, between 1 and 2 feet, with periods dropping slightly to 14-15 seconds. Wind is still on it, mostly light to gentle breezes from the west-southwest. Tuesday morning has a cross-on shore component, making for some light chop. The energy is still weak, hovering in the 130-180 range. It’s just dribble.

Thursday the 6th is still flat and poor. A light cross-on breeze from the southwest keeps things bumpy. The swell is a paltry 2 feet at 13 seconds, with weak energy around 177. Nothing to see here.

Now, here’s where things get interesting, but not necessarily good. On Friday the 7th, we see a jump in period and energy. The swell drops to around 1.5 to 2 feet, but the period jumps to a very long 19 seconds, and the combined energy leaps to 388 on the morning. This is a long-period groundswell, and it’s got some push behind it, but the size is just too small to do anything with. The wind is also cross-onshore from the southwest, which is going to make it messy. It’s a teaser. The energy stays strong into Saturday the 8th and Sunday the 9th, with values between 301 and 399, but the swell height barely cracks 2.5 feet. The period backs off to 15-17 seconds. The wind is still cross-onshore, keeping the surface bumpy. It’s a lot of energy for ankle-biters. Not what we want.

The first real glimmer of hope comes on Monday the 10th. The morning session sees the swell at around 2 feet from the southwest with a 13-second period. The wind goes more cross-shore, and the model flags it as just marginal, scoring it a 1 out of 10. It’s not good, but it’s the first time it’s not an outright zero. The energy is still moderate at 257. The afternoon, however, goes back to poor.

We then hit another lull. Tuesday the 11th through Thursday the 13th are back to poor conditions. Swells are small, 1 to 2 feet, with periods ranging from 16 to 18 seconds. The energy is moderate, but the wind is cross-onshore or onshore, and the size is just not there. It’s a frustrating mix of long-period energy with no size.

Now, for the one true standout of this whole outlook. It’s still a way off, but look at Friday the 14th. The afternoon shows a bump in swell to around 2.5 feet from the southwest, with a solid 18-second period. The combined energy jumps to a strong 506. The wind is onshore from the west, which is a negative, but it’s light. The model gives it a 1 out of 10, and calls it marginal. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best of a bad bunch. Then, Saturday the 15th morning is your pick of the entire run. The swell pushes up to 3 feet from the southwest, with a 16-second period, and the combined energy is a strong 530. The wind is light from the west, which is onshore, but very light. The model scores it a 2 out of 10. For Windansea, that’s a win this week. It’s a reef break, so this long-period SW groundswell will wrap in nicely. It’s not big, but there’s some energy behind it and it’s the cleanest we’ll see. The crowd factor? Expect the locals to be out, because we’ve been starved.

After that, the 16th and 17th fade back into the high-energy, small-swell pattern. Sunday the 16th has 2 to 2.5 foot swells with moderate energy, but it’s back to poor. Monday the 17th sees a light onshore breeze, and the energy drops again. The last record shows a 2 foot swell with a 15-second period, but it’s still

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