Winki Pop Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. The next couple of weeks are a mixed bag. We’ve got a bit of a slow start, but there’s some serious potential brewing for the experienced crew at Winki Pop. It’s a reef and point setup that needs a clean, solid SW groundswell and offshore winds to fire, and when it all lines up, it’s a ripper. Water temp is sitting at 57°, which is about 2° warmer than usual for this time of year – nothing wild, just a touch of tropical flavour in the water.

Right now, Monday the 14th is pretty flat and ordinary. We’ve got a tiny 2ft SW swell with a weak energy reading of 166 – not enough to get excited about, even with a clean morning offshore breeze. Afternoon goes cross-off and cloudy, still tiny. Tuesday the 15th sees the swell jump to 7ft in the morning, but a fresh cross-off wind at 19 mph keeps things messy, and the energy rockets to 1367 – moderate, but the wind is the problem. Tuesday afternoon gets worse: 8ft SW swell, energy at 2323, but the wind goes cross at 22 mph, lumpy and chopped. This is expert territory size-wise, but the conditions are poor.

Wednesday the 16th is a write-off – 8ft to 8ft SSW swell with a very long 15-second period, but cross-onshore winds and energy readings of 2324 to 2428 make it a choppy, blown-out mess. Not worth paddling out. Thursday the 17th drops a little, with 6ft in the morning and energy of 1191, but the wind is cross and cross-on, keeping it average.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Friday the 18th is the first real standout. Morning and afternoon both serve up a clean 5ft to 5ft SSW groundswell, period stretching to 16–17 seconds – that’s proper long-period energy. The wind swings offshore from the NW at 12 mph, glassing it up beautifully. Combined energy readings of 2277 and 1808 are moderate to strong, and for an advanced break like Winki Pop, this is excellent. The long period means the waves will have real shape and power, and on this reef and point, it’ll be handling it perfectly. Crowds are often here, so expect company, but the quality will be worth it.

Saturday the 19th drops back to 4ft to 3ft SW swell, energy falling to 448–262. Still clean with NW offshore wind, but it’s small and ordinary. Sunday the 20th has a fresh offshore breeze at 22 mph in the morning, with a 4ft SW swell and energy of 519 – marginal, but clean. Afternoon jumps to 8ft SW swell, energy 2343, with a cross-off wind – clean but lumpy. Monday the 21st sees a big 8ft to 10ft SSW swell roll in, with very long 15–16 second periods and energy readings of 3129 to 4574 – that’s strong. But the wind is cross-onshore, so it’s choppy and messy. This is expert-only size, but the conditions aren’t doing it any favours.

Tuesday the 22nd is the second standout. Morning and afternoon both deliver excellent conditions: 7ft to 6ft SSW groundswell, periods of 16 to 15 seconds, and clean offshore NW wind – light in the morning at 6 mph, dropping to near glassy in the afternoon at 3 mph. Energy readings of 2637 and 1527 are strong to moderate. This is prime Winki Pop – clean, powerful, and lined up. Crowds are likely, but the quality will draw everyone in. After that, Wednesday the 23rd through the end of the month drops off: smaller swells, cross-onshore winds, and rain, with only brief clean windows on the 26th afternoon (3ft SW, energy 319) and a small bump on the 27th with a very long 19-second period but strong winds. The second week is mostly small, choppy, or blown out, so don’t bank on much beyond the 22nd.

Overall, Friday the 18th and Tuesday the 22nd are your best bets. Both offer clean, offshore conditions with solid SSW groundswell. For the experienced surfers, that’s where it’s at.

Rusty

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