Wraps Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, cobber, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Wraps over the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, the outlook is a bit of a shocker. The entire 16-day window is one long, tough stretch of poor surf. There’s no stand-out day, no real window of clean waves, and the wind is pretty much always on it. The water temp is sitting at 80°, which is about normal for the time of year, but that’s the only thing that’s average.

The pattern is grim right from the start. Friday morning, 7 August, we’ve got a tiny 3ft swell from the ENE with a short, weak 5-second period and onshore winds already blowing 12 mph. The combined energy is weak (81). That’s a write-off. This theme just keeps rolling through the weekend. Saturday the 8th sees the swell nudge up to 5ft, but the period is still a pathetic 6 seconds and the wind is howling 22 mph onshore. The energy is moderate (205), but it’s all wind chop.

Sunday the 9th through to the end of the first week is more of the same: onshore ENE winds, short-period slop, and the swell is always described as “poor surf conditions.” The energy climbs into the 300s and 400s, which is moderate to strong, but it’s all messy, onshore junk. The wind never lets up, staying fresh to strong breeze from the ENE or NE, always onshore or cross-onshore. The best you can say is that by Monday the 10th the period stretches to 8 seconds, but it’s still cross-onshore and choppy. That’s not a recommendation.

The second week barely gets any better. From the 14th of August onward, the swell height pushes up to 6ft to 8ft, and the period hits 9 seconds by the 17th, but again, the wind is relentless – 22 to 25 mph onshore. The energy is high, hitting 829 by Monday afternoon the 17th, but with that wind, it’s just a big, messy, blown-out ocean. The swell is coming from the ENE, which is not the optimum direction for this spot (the guide says it prefers NE swell). The period eventually reaches 10 seconds on the morning of Tuesday the 18th, with a strong 687 energy, but the wind is still on at 16 mph. It’s a tease.

The only, and I mean only, faint glimmer is on Wednesday the 19th of August. The wind eases to a gentle breeze at 9 mph, but it’s cross-onshore, so it’s still choppy. The swell is 6ft with a 9-second period from the ENE, and the energy is 480. It’s the least bad day, but it’s still not what you’d call a surf session. For a beginner, these waves are borderline too big (over 5ft), and the wind is rubbish. For an expert, the swell isn’t big enough to be interesting, and the quality is poor.

Given the constant onshore winds and the beach-break setup, this whole period looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The water is warm, and the wind is strong, but the waves are just a mess.

Honestly, mate, there’s nothing to get excited about. The forecast is bleak, but it tends not to stay this poor for long – forecasts can change. For now, keep the board in the car and wait for a better day.

Rusty.

Read more