Windmills Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Well, I’ve gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are lookin’ pretty grim for a paddle. Windmills (reef break) is the only spot on the cards, but the wind is blowin’ from the wrong direction pretty much the whole time, and that ENE breeze is just killin’ any chance of clean waves. The water temp is sittin’ around 81°, which is bang on average for this time of year, nothin’ unusual there.

From today, Sunday the 23rd of August, right through the end of the month, it’s a write-off. We’ve got a solid 6 ft of swell from the ENE on Sunday, but the period is a pathetic 6 seconds and the cross-shore wind is 22 mph – it’s lumpy, choppy, and just plain messy. The combined swell energy is 230 (weak to moderate), but it’s completely wasted. Monday the 24th drops right off to 1 ft from the NW with a long 11-second period, but the energy is only 30 – barely a ripple. Tuesday through to the end of August is more of the same: waist-high to head-high swells from the ENE, short period, and that dreaded cross-shore wind.

That first week is a total gap. There’s just nothing worth paddling out for. The wind never really cleans up, and the swell direction is all wrong for Windmills – it needs a solid NNW to really light up, and we’re gettin’ the complete opposite.

Now, lookin’ into the second week, we finally get a glimmer of hope. On Monday the 7th of September, we see something real promising for the afternoon. A solid 8 ft swell from the NE with a long 12-second period – that’s a true groundswell with heaps of grunt. The combined swell energy hits a massive 1722 (very strong). The wind swings light from the east at just 6 mph, and it’s cross-offshore, which will make the place glassy and clean. That’s the standout of the whole outlook, no question. Just keep in mind that at 8 ft, this is strictly for the experienced crew. It’s also a long-period swell, so at a reef break like Windmills, those sets will be powerful and well-shaped – perfect for a reef. Earlier that same morning on the 7th, there’s a 7 ft NE swell with a 12-second period and a light cross-onshore wind, which is still pretty good but not as clean.

The few days before that, around the 5th and 6th of September, we’ve got big groundswells from the ENE with periods over 13 seconds, but the wind stays cross-shore or cross-on, keepin’ the surface lumpy. The energy is high – over 1000 – but the conditions just aren’t cooperating.

So, the only real window to get excited about is that Monday the 7th of September afternoon. Until then, it’s a long dry spell. If you’re a kite surfer, that constant cross-shore wind and mediocre swell might be your jam, but for a paddle surfer? Wait for that Monday afternoon.

Rusty.

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