Hellesto Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on the cards for the local stretch.

Straight up, this is a tough outlook. We’re staring at a solid week or more of just about nothing rideable. The whole pattern is locked into small, weak, and messy conditions. Don’t bother paddling out until at least Tuesday the 25th of August, and even then, it’s only a slight glimmer.

From Wednesday the 19th right through until Monday the 24th, it’s a write-off. We’ve got tiny swell – nothing above 4 ft – but it’s all plagued by onshore and cross-onshore winds, mostly from the NNW, with a lot of rain or clouds. The energy is pitiful, often in the double digits (like 3 to 103 in the combined energy scale), and the periods are short, meaning weak, lumpy, wind-blown slop. Not worth getting wet for.

Now, Tuesday the 25th of August is the first time we get a little hope. Hellesto (exposed to WNW swell) will see a 2 ft swell from the west, with a long period of 11 seconds, offering some proper groundswell shape. The energy bumps up to 123 (moderate), and the wind flips to a light southerly, giving us cross-offshore conditions. It’ll be clean, but the size is tiny – just ankle to maybe knee high for the experienced. Still, it’s the best we’ve got in a while. The water temp is about average for this time of year, no major anomaly to report.

From Wednesday the 26th onward, it drops back into the doldrums. We get a couple of glassy or offshore moments, like Wednesday afternoon with a 2 ft WSW swell and glassy conditions, but the size is too small and the periods are short (6 seconds). Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th offer clean conditions again with offshore winds, but we’re talking 0.7 ft to 2 ft west swells – barely a ripple. Combined energy drops back to weak numbers (6 to 37). Not worth the drive.

Towards the very end of the 16-day window, around Monday the 1st of September and Tuesday the 2nd, we see a bit more size push through. Swells reach 4 ft to 7 ft from the SSW and SW, with periods around 7 seconds. The energy gets up to moderately strong levels (160 to 439). Winds look clean and cross-offshore. However, that short period means it’ll be a bit fat and messy, probably better for a bigger board than a short one. And for the Tuesday the 2nd afternoon swell of 7 ft, that’s pushing into expert territory – not for beginners.

Overall, keep your expectations low. The standout, if you can call it that, is Tuesday morning the 25th of August for the cleaner, longer period west swell, but it’s tiny. The very end of the run into September has more size but lacks the quality of a proper long-period groundswell. A couple of the cleaner glassy afternoons could be fun on a longboard if you want to get wet, but otherwise, this is a waiting game.

Rusty.

Read more