Zenith Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s size up Zenith Beach for the next couple weeks. It’s a bit of a rollercoaster, with a few glassy moments and some real beasts rolling through, so you’ve gotta pick your moments.

The water’s 66°, which is right about normal for this time of year—nothing out of the ordinary.

Starting Friday the 11th, we’ve got a 7ft S swell with a 10-second period, but the wind’s cross-shore at 12 mph, so it’s a bit messy. The combined swell energy is moderate at 814. The arvo cleans up a touch with a 6ft S swell and lighter 9 mph cross-shore wind, but it’s still only marginal. Not worth rushing out.

The real standout is Saturday the 12th, morning session. A clean 4ft S swell, 12-second period, and the wind is a light cross-offshore at just 3 mph. Glassy as glass, mate. Combined energy is 793—solid moderate energy—and it’s beginner-friendly size. That’s the one. The wind swings onshore and picks up to 16 mph in the arvo, so get out early.

Sunday the 13th and Monday the 14th are duds. Swell drops to 3ft and 3ft, but strong onshore winds—up to 22 mph on Sunday arvo—make it choppy. Combined energy drops to around 250–322. Skip ’em.

Tuesday the 15th is flat, with swell under 1ft and energy down to 56. Leave the board at home.

Now, Wednesday the 16th brings a massive 13ft S swell, but the wind is howling at 31 mph from the SSW. That’s a near gale. The combined energy is huge—2774 in the morning, 3255 in the arvo. This is kite-surfing weather, not paddle surfing. Too big for beginners and hairy for everyone else.

Thursday the 17th still has plenty of size—10ft S swell in the morning with 16 mph cross-offshore wind, so it’s clean but powerful. Combined energy is 1558. The swell drops to 8ft in the arvo with 22 mph wind. Expert only, and the morning might be too big even for them.

Friday the 18th drops to a manageable 5ft S swell with 9 mph cross-offshore wind in the morning—clean, but the period’s only 8 seconds, so it’s a bit weak. Combined energy is 677. The arvo has a weird 4ft S swell with a 19-second period from the E direction—long period groundswell, but onshore wind makes it messy.

Saturday the 19th has a 3ft S swell with a nice 15-second period and barely any wind in the morning—just 3 mph cross-shore. Combined energy is 665. It’s clean but small. The arvo gets blown out by 19 mph onshore winds.

Sunday the 20th offers a tiny 2ft S swell with a light offshore breeze at 6 mph in the morning. Clean, but energy is only 169—pretty weak.

From Monday the 21st through to Saturday the 26th, it’s mostly small and poor. Swells under 2ft, onshore winds, and combined energy often below 100. The one exception is Wednesday the 23rd morning, where a 10ft S swell pops up with light wind at 6 mph, but it’s cross-onshore and the energy is 1716—too big for Zenith. Thursday the 24th has a 6ft SSE swell with clean cross-offshore wind in the morning, but the period’s short at 9 seconds. Energy is 513—moderate, but nothing special.

Bottom line: hit Saturday 12th morning for the best—clean, waist-to-chest high S swell, nice period, and offshore conditions. Thursday 17th morning is the other one if you’re an expert and don’t mind big, clean waves. Everything else is either too small, too windy, or too gnarly.

Rusty.

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