Winkipop Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag on the cards for Winkipop over the next couple of weeks. The pattern is starting off with some small, clean windows but then we hit a pretty rough stretch before a solid pulse of swell shows up late in the period.

The action kicks off on Wednesday the 12th of August. It’s not much to write home about—just a 3ft swell from the south with a period of 9 seconds. Cross-off wind from the WSW at 16 mph will keep things tidy, but the combined energy is weak at 215. The water’s sitting at 62°F, which feels a bit colder than usual for this time of year.

Thursday the 13th of August morning is actually the standout of this first week. We’ve got a 5ft south-southwest swell, period’s a short 6 seconds, but with a clean offshore breeze from the WSW at 12 mph, the surface will be glassy. The combined energy is moderate at 329. It’s not a huge swell, but for a morning surf, it’s the best we’ll see for a while.

Then the run of poor conditions hits. From Thursday afternoon the 13th through to Saturday the 22nd of August, it’s mostly cross-shore or onshore winds, choppy faces, and mediocre swell. There’s a bit of size on Saturday the 15th afternoon—6ft south swell with a combined energy of 511—but the wind is cross-off from the south at 16 mph, and the comment says marginal. The quality just isn’t there for a decent session.

Sunday the 23rd of August morning brings a fresh offshore from the SW at 19 mph with a 4ft east-northeast swell at 10 seconds. It’s clean, but the swell height is small and the combined energy is 270—still marginal.

Now, the real one to keep an eye on is Monday the 24th of August. The morning kicks off with a 7ft south swell at 10 seconds and a strong offshore from the SSW at 19 mph. Combined energy jumps right up to 961. Then Monday afternoon the same 7ft south swell, period 11 seconds, combined energy rockets to 1968—that’s serious power. The wind is cross-off from the south at 16 mph. This is big, strong groundswell. For Winkipop, that much energy and a long period will really juice it up, but the direction is south, which isn’t its optimum from the southeast. It’ll still be a handful, and at over 7ft this is strictly for experienced surfers. Crowds are often here, so it’ll be busy. This is the standout of the entire outlook, but it’s a full week away, so keep an eye on how it shapes up.

After that, things drop off quickly. Tuesday the 25th of August morning is clean with a light offshore from the SW at 6 mph and a 4ft south swell, combined energy 284. Wednesday the 26th of August morning is small and glassy—just 2ft at 10 seconds, energy down to 93. Thursday the 27th sees a bit more size in the afternoon, a 6ft south swell but onshore from the NE at 16 mph spoils it.

For those last few days, the first week’s best shot is Thursday the 13th of August morning, and the real stand-out is Monday the 24th of August. Apart from those windows, there’s not a lot to get excited about. Stay patient.

Rusty.

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