Benete Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking at Benete over the next couple of weeks.

First up, we’ve got a little glimmer of hope coming in on Sunday the 30th of August. The afternoon session is looking real promising with the swell coming in at a clean 5 ft from the SW, with a 13-second period. The wind is glassy out of the SE at only 3 mph, so the surface will be butter smooth. The combined energy is sitting at a solid 949, which is moderate – enough to get you moving. The water temp is a very pleasant 80°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there. Benete is a reef and point break that rarely breaks, so when it lines up like this, you’ve gotta be on it. This is the standout of the whole forecast period – the best on offer by a long shot.

Now, after that Sunday, things get tricky. Monday the 31st through to the end of the first week, we’ve got a lot of swell, but the wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, making it choppy and messy. The swell is consistently SW, but those periods are long, hovering around 14 to 18 seconds, which is proper groundswell. Heights are between 4 ft and 7 ft, but the wind is a cross-on from the S or SSE at 6 to 9 mph, so the surface is never clean. The combined energy gets up into the 1300 to 2600 range (moderate to strong), but the quality just isn’t there for a paddle surfer. A couple of the afternoon windows on Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 10th of September do show a clean, cross-off wind, which is a big positive. Wednesday the 2nd afternoon has a 7 ft SW swell with a 16-second period and light breeze, and that’s marked as excellent for experienced surfers. Thursday the 10th afternoon is very similar, with 8 ft from the SSW and a 16-second period, also clean. Those are your two best bets after the opening Sunday, but only for the skilled crew, as 8 ft is getting into expert territory.

The second week from the 8th of September onwards sees the swell size bump up even more, peaking at 8 ft on the 9th and 10th, with combined energy over 4500 (strong to very strong). However, the wind is almost always a cross-on, so the surface is choppy. The breaks are mostly showing marginal surf conditions. The period stays long, 16 to 19 seconds, which does mean better shaped waves, but at a beach-and-reef setup like this, that long period can make the waves a bit too fast and straight. Unless you’re an expert looking for a big, challenging paddle, the conditions are more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing during those days.

So, to sum it up: Sunday the 30th of August afternoon is the one to circle. Glassy, clean, and a decent 5 ft SW swell. After that, you’re looking at a lot of choppy, onshore wind for most of the week, with a couple of clean windows for experts on Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 10th of September. The rest is a long gap of marginal to poor conditions. Don’t hold your breath for the second week unless you’ve got a kite.

Rusty.

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