Wonthaggi Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a yarn about what’s coming our way for Wonthaggi.

Honestly, looking at the next couple of weeks, it’s a bit of a mixed bag with a few glimmers, but don't expect any all-time perfect days. The water is sitting at about 56.5°, which is a tad warmer than usual for this time of year; we’ve got a plus 1.8° anomaly, so it’s not a big shock, but the rubber won't feel as cruel.

The first real chance for a surf comes on Saturday, August 29th, but it’s not looking flash. We’ve got a 6.2 ft swell from the WSW on the morning, with a 14-second period. That’s a solid groundswell, but the wind is howling onshore from the W at 9 mph. The combined energy is chunky at 1484, but that's mostly just messy power. It’s a marginal call at best. By the afternoon, it drops to 4.9 ft and the score is a zero for poor conditions. Not the way to start.

Sunday, August 30th, we see a similar pattern - a 5.9 ft SW swell (13-14 sec) but with a cross-onshore wind. The energy is strong, hitting 1683 in the arvo, but the wind just messes it all up. It’s more of a look-see than a paddle-out. Monday, September 1st isn't much better; the energy is still high, but the onshore wind just holds it back.

We get a bit of a shift on Tuesday, September 1st. The wind swings to a cross-shore from the NNW, but it’s blowing a fresh 19 mph. The swell drops to 5.2 ft with a very long 16-second period from the SW. That long period stuff can be tricky at a beach break, wrapping a bit straight, but the wind is too strong anyway. It’s a write-off.

Wednesday, September 2nd has the biggest swell of the early week, hitting 7.5 ft from the WSW (14-15 sec). The wave energy is pumping, 2631 in the morning and 3482 in the afternoon. But the onshore and cross-onshore winds (12 mph) make it a choppy, bumpy mess. For expert guys who don't mind a fight, there might be a few, but for the rest of us, it's a skip.

Thursday, September 3rd sees the swell jump to a solid 9.8 ft from the WSW. That’s big. Too big for anyone but experts. The wind is a cross-onshore 19 mph in the morning, making it lumpy and dangerous. The afternoon cleans up a *little* with the wind dropping to 12 mph onshore, but the score is still only 1/10.

Saturday, September 5th gets full-on silly. We’ve got a 13.1 ft swell from the WSW, but it’s a short-period wind swell at 9 seconds, driven by a near-gale 31 mph onshore wind. Energy is at 3065. This is pure chaos. For paddle surfing, forget it. If you're a kiter, this setup looks like it’d be absolutely wild, but for a surfer, it’s a stay-home day.

Sunday, September 6th and Monday, September 7th are a mess of cross-shore and cross-onshore winds over a 6.6 ft to 6.9 ft SW swell. No good windows.

Then, a tiny glimmer on Monday, September 7th afternoon. The wind shifts to a cross-offshore from the N at 19 mph. The swell is 6.6 ft SW at 13 seconds. The energy is 1850, and the wind state is described as "clean". It’s still a fresh breeze, but for the first time, the wind is working with the wave face, not against it. It’s the pick of a bad bunch, but still only marginal.

After that, we get a run from Tuesday, September 8th through to Thursday, September 10th of big, powerful SW groundswells (8.2 ft at 17 sec, 7.9 ft at 16 sec) but they are all plagued by onshore or cross-onshore winds. Some of these are very long period swells (15-17 sec), which would normally be a dream for a point or reef, but at Wonthaggi’s beach setup, they’ll break a bit straight and the wind will just make a mess.

The best of the whole 16-day outlook is probably Saturday afternoon, September 12th. We get a 5.9 ft SW swell, with a long 16-second period. The wind is a light cross-shore from the NW at only 9 mph. The wave energy is a solid 2541, but the conditions are "gentle cross-shore with slight cross-chop". The score nudges up to a 3/10, which is the highest we

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