Winki Pop Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, looking at the Winki Pop forecast for the next couple of weeks. We’ve got a bit of a slow start, then a real run of solid groundswell that’ll have the advanced crew frothing.

The first few days are a write-off, really. Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th are just meagre, with weak, messy conditions. You’re looking at a 3 ft to 2 ft wind-affected bump, and the combined energy is a weak 440-227. Not worth paddling out. That gets us through to Friday the 28th morning, which is still marginal with a 3 ft SSW swell, but the period jumps to 18 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy (719 combined energy). The wind is cross-off and clean, but the size is small. It’s a tease.

The real action kicks off on Saturday the 29th morning. We’ve got a clean 3 ft SW swell with a 14-second period, light cross-off wind, and the combined energy is a solid 416. It’s a proper, clean point break wave. The standout, though, is Sunday the 30th morning. Glassy conditions, 4 ft of SSW swell, and a combined energy of 765. That’s a beautiful session for the advanced crew, with the long-period groundswell lining up perfectly on the reef and point. Winki Pop is fairly exposed to the SW, and the optimum swell direction is SW, so this is right in its sweet spot.

Monday the 31st is another cracker. The swell jumps to 6 ft from the SSW, with a 15-second period, and the combined energy is a strong 1332. Morning has cross-off wind, afternoon is pure offshore from the NW. Both sessions are clean and very good. This is the best of the first week – a solid, powerful groundswell with clean conditions. Crowds are often here, so be prepared.

Tuesday the 1st of September drops off a bit. The swell is smaller at 4 ft, and while the wind is strong offshore from the NNW (30 km/h), the energy is lower (662) and the conditions are marginal. The same goes for Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd – clean but nothing special, with swell around 4 ft to 5 ft.

Then we get a true standout in the second week. Friday the 4th of September afternoon is “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers” – 5 ft SW swell, 15-second period, light cross-off wind, and a combined energy of 1769. Clean and powerful. But the real highlight is Saturday the 5th of September. All day, we’ve got 7 ft of SSW groundswell with a 17-second period in the morning, and 16 seconds in the afternoon. The combined energy is huge – 2686 in the morning, 2405 in the afternoon. The wind is offshore from the WNW at 15 km/h, with gentle offshore conditions. This is a serious, big groundswell for experts only, as 7 ft is over the 8 ft threshold for advanced riders. The long period makes it perfect for the point and reef, but it’ll be a beast. Crowds are likely.

Sunday the 6th of September is still big (8 ft) but the wind is a fresh 35 km/h cross-off, making it messy and marginal. The combined energy is a massive 3703, but the quality is poor. Monday the 7th drops back to 5 ft, with fresh offshore wind, but the energy is lower (761). The final standout is Wednesday the 9th of September afternoon, with 6 ft SSW groundswell, 15-second period, moderate offshore wind, and a combined energy of 1763 – “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.”

The water temperature anomaly is not given, so it’s about average for the time of year at Winki Pop.

So, the best on offer: Monday the 31st of August for a solid, clean 6 ft groundswell, and Saturday the 5th of September for a big, powerful 7 ft expert-only groundswell with offshore winds. That second one is the true standout – a long-range call that’s looking promising, but keep an eye on it.

Rusty.

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