Zenith Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s look at what’s on offer at Zenith Beach.

Right off the bat, I gotta be honest with you – the next week and a half is a bit of a grind. We’ve got a long stretch of poor quality surf with bumpy, onshore winds and choppy conditions. There’s a lot of low energy in the water, and the direction isn’t lining up well for this spot. For the first week, the only real glimpse of something decent comes on Wednesday, 19 August in the morning. The wind swings light offshore, cleaning things up, but the swell is pretty average at 3.9ft from the ESE, with a weak period of 7 seconds. The combined energy is only 250 (weak). It’s a small window of clean, surfable waves, but nothing to write home about.

We get a bit of a reprieve on Thursday, 20 August morning when it turns glassy. The swell is a tiny 3.3ft from the ESE, with a combined energy of just 104 (weak). It’s clean, but it’s small and weak. Friday, 21 August afternoon also looks glassy, with a 3.3ft ENE swell and 135 combined energy (weak). These are low-key sessions for the log or a longboard, not a standout.

The big news is the end of the forecast window. Tuesday, 25 August sees a massive pulse of swell from the SSW, pushing 11.5ft in the morning and 9.8ft in the afternoon. The combined energy jumps to 4241 (strong) in the morning and 1966 (strong) in the afternoon. The period is 10-11 seconds, a solid groundswell. However, this is a beach break, and that much size is going to be a washing machine. The wind is light onshore, so it’ll be lumpy and unruly. This is strictly for experienced surfers who know the bank, and even then, it’s a dicey call. The early morning on Tuesday, 25 August gets a high score, but only for the right crew. It’s too big for beginners, and the wind isn’t fully cooperating.

The true standout in this whole 16-day window comes on Friday, 28 August morning. We get a clean, offshore flow from the southwest, with a solid 5.2ft swell from the SSE. The period is 10 seconds, giving it some punch. The combined energy is 504 (moderate). The wind is cross-offshore, which should groom the faces nicely. This is the best session on offer. The water temp is 64.4°, which is about average for this time of year (anomaly of -1.3°). It’s a bit of a wait, but it’s the one to circle on the calendar. Just know that this break is very consistent, but with decent conditions like that, expect crowds to be possible.

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