Winki Pop Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. It’s been a bit quiet, but we’ve got a run of surf coming through for Winki Pop. This is a reef and point setup that needs a solid SW groundswell and offshore NW winds to really fire. The water’s sitting at 56°F right now, which is about average for this time of year.

We kick things off on Wednesday morning the 19th of August with a small 2ft SW groundswell, but the wind is a fresh 22 mph cross-off from the NNE, making it a bit of a mess. Not worth paddling out. The afternoon stays small and scrappy.

Thursday the 20th sees a slight improvement. Morning brings a 1ft SW swell with a clean offshore NW breeze at 12 mph. The combined energy is still weak (118), but it’s surfable. The afternoon gets better with a 2ft SW groundswell, 16-second period, and a gentle offshore WNW wind. Clean, but small.

Friday the 21st starts average with a 2ft SW swell and cross-off wind, but the afternoon is where it picks up. The swell stays at 2ft from the SW, but the period extends to 18 seconds, and the wind goes offshore WNW. The combined energy jumps to 382, and the conditions are clean. A nice little session for the patient surfer.

Now, Saturday the 22nd is where things get real. The morning swell jumps to 5ft from the SW, with a 16-second period. The combined energy is a strong 1207, and the wind is a light cross-off from the W. It’s clean, but that size is getting into the advanced zone. The afternoon holds at 5ft with the same period and light wind, and the energy is still pumping at 1020. This is the first standout – good, solid SW groundswell, clean conditions, and just the right size for the experienced crew.

Sunday the 23rd is our best day of the first week. The morning has a 5ft SW groundswell with a 14-second period, and a gentle offshore WNW breeze. Clean. But the afternoon is the winner: glassy conditions with a WSW wind at 3 mph, the swell is 5ft from the SW with a 16-second period, and the combined energy is a powerful 1391. The description says excellent surf for experienced surfers. This is the peak – long-period groundswell, no wind, and the point should be handling it beautifully. The crowds can be often here, so get in early.

Monday the 24th drops back to 2ft to 3ft SW swell, with a cross-off wind in the morning and a moderate offshore in the afternoon. It’s clean, but nothing special.

Tuesday the 25th brings a big bump in size but the wrong wind. Morning sees a 8ft SW swell with a 13-second period, and strong cross-shore wind from the SW. The combined energy is 2243, but the onshore chop makes it a mess. Too big and messy for paddle surfing – this one is more for the kite crew. The afternoon drops to 5ft but still cross-shore.

Wednesday the 26th through Thursday the 27th are small and average, with light cross-shore winds and weak energy. Not worth a mention.

Friday the 28th of August is our second standout. The morning has a 7ft SW groundswell with an 18-second period, cross-off wind from the WNW, and combined energy of 2366. The afternoon is even better: 7ft from the SW, 16-second period, offshore WNW wind at 12 mph, and a massive 2591 combined energy. The description says excellent for experienced surfers. This is a powerful, long-period groundswell with clean offshore conditions. For the advanced crew only – this is raw, powerful surf.

Saturday the 29th is blown out. Morning has 10ft SW swell with a strong cross-onshore SSE wind. The energy is 5535, but it’s choppy and messy. Sunday the 30th is cleaner but still cross-shore, with 5ft to 5ft SSW swell. Not great.

Monday the 31st of August and Tuesday the 1st of September settle back to 3ft to 3ft SW swell, with clean winds and light offshore breezes. The energy is moderate (600-500 range). Surfable, but not a standout.

Wednesday the 2nd of September has a tiny 2ft SW swell, but the period is a very long 20 seconds, and the wind is offshore from the NW. Combined energy is 395. Clean but small.

Thursday the 3rd of September has a 4ft SW groundswell with a 17-second period, and glassy conditions in the morning. Combined energy is 661. A nice little clean-up session for the end of the run.

So, overall: the best waves are on Sunday the 23rd of August afternoon, with glassy conditions and a solid 5ft SW groundswell, and Friday the 28th of August afternoon, with a powerful 7ft SW groundswell and offshore winds. Both are for the advanced crew. The rest is small or messy.

Rusty.

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