Winkipop Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, let’s be straight with you – the next couple of weeks at Winkipop are a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got a long stretch of pretty ordinary, small surf to start, then a serious pulse of energy rolls in late in the second week that’ll get the blood pumping. Hold tight.

We kick off Monday, August 3rd, with a weak 3ft SE swell (combined energy 274). It’s cross-on and messy, not worth paddling out for. That afternoon cleans up a touch to 3ft with a light WNW cross-off, but it’s still very ordinary. Tuesday is tiny – 1ft Tuesday morning, with 1.0ft in the afternoon. The water temp is about average for the time of year, no real surprises there. The whole week from Monday through to Sunday is a write-off: small waves, periods under 8 seconds, and a mix of cross-off, onshore, and cross-shore winds. Wednesday morning has a 2ft swell with a stiff 20 km/h cross-off – not worth it. The best you’ll see is Thursday morning, August 6th, with a 4ft S swell (236 energy) and a light WNW cross-off, but it’s still only average. Then Friday morning, August 7th, is similar – 4ft S swell (249 energy) and clean. Not standouts, just a little window of cleaner conditions.

After that, it’s back to flat and poor. Saturday and Sunday, August 8th and 9th, are tiny with onshore winds. Monday, August 10th, has a 3ft ENE swell with a moderate WSW offshore, but it’s weak. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of the second week stay small, generally under 3ft, with a few clean moments but nothing to get excited about. There’s a gap of about 10 days of mediocre surf.

Now, the real story is the end of the run. On Sunday, August 16th, we get a late pulse of 6ft SSW swell (310 energy), but it’s short period at 7 seconds and cross-off, so it’s messy. That’s just the appetiser. Monday, August 17th – this is where it gets interesting. We’ve got a 7ft S groundswell with a 13-second period and combined energy of 1421. That’s some serious power. The wind is light SSW cross-off, so it’s clean. It’s a solid, heavy swell – over 7ft, so this is for experienced surfers only. The standouts start Monday afternoon, August 17th, when the swell bumps to 8ft from the south (12 seconds, 1653 energy) with a light SSE cross-off and clean conditions. This is the best on offer – excellent surf for those who know what they’re doing. Then Tuesday, August 18th, keeps it going with a 7ft S swell (1034 energy) and a clean 20 km/h SW offshore. Another belter of a day for the crew who can handle it.

The biggest event is that Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning, August 17th and 18th. That’s your window. Winkipop is a point break, so it handles that long-period S groundswell beautifully. The swell direction is from the south, which is off the optimum SE direction, but with that size and clean offshore, it’ll still be a ripper. Just be aware that with this much energy, it’s not for beginners. Crowds are often an issue here, so expect some company.

Keep an eye on the forecasts, but that late pulse is the one to chase.

Rusty

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