Windmills Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let's take a look at what's cooking for the next 16 days.

Honestly, it's a pretty grim stretch ahead for Windmills. For the vast majority of it, there's just nothing doing. The surf quality is poor right through from the 12th of September until the morning of the 25th of September. That's nearly two weeks of wash. The wind's locked in from the ENE, blowing straight across the swell, and it's just not the direction Windmills likes. We see that cross-shore wind creates a lot of chop on the surface, making it a messy, choppy affair.

The swell comes in from the NE for the first part of the window, which isn't its best direction at all. While the swell energy does get quite strong in the middle of that run, hitting a combined 611 (moderate to strong energy) on Thursday the 18th, the cross-straight wind blows it all to bits, and it's just poor conditions. For a while there, the wind is up to 19 mph, making it a lumpy mess. If you're a kite surfer, that ENE breeze and the bumpy water might look interesting, but for a traditional paddle surfer, it's a no-go. Periods are mainly short too, mostly below 8 to 10 seconds, so it’s not packing the punch we really want.

There's finally a small window of hope right at the end. On Friday the 25th of September, we get a "marginal" call, which is the first hint of something rideable. The wind drops back to a gentle 9 mph cross-shore, and the swell hangs around 4 ft from the ENE with a 10-second period. That's a long, quiet gap between sets, and with the ENE direction being only slightly off its optimum (NNW), it might just offer up a few half-decent waves if you're patient. The combined energy is 416 (moderate), so there's some weight there, but for surf quality it's nothing to get emotional about. It's that classic Goldilocks situation: not too big, not too small, but the wind being cross-shore rather than clean offshore will be a killer.

The dawn of Saturday the 26th is similar, but the swell shifts to the north, which is closer to what it wants. Still, the "marginal" tag tells you it's a gamble, and the crowd factor will likely be high because it's the first sign of life in ages. For the advanced crew, it's the only real window on the board.

So, the bottom line is: this is a long stretch of quiet water. The only two mornings worth even checking your phone are Friday the 25th and maybe Saturday the 26th of September. Water temps? Let's just say they're what you'd expect for this time of year, nothing out of the ordinary.

Rusty.

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