Cactus Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into what’s happening for the next couple of weeks at Cactus. This is a tricky run, so I’ll walk you through the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The overall pattern is a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got plenty of groundswell energy from the SW, but for the first few days, the wind is just not playing nice. The water temp is sitting at 61°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

We start off on Thursday, 3rd September, with a clean 5ft SW swell, but it’s a cross-on breeze and a light bump on the surface. The energy is there at 1033, but it’s not really clean enough to get excited about. Friday the 4th sees the swell jump up to 7ft, and by the afternoon it’s a full 8ft, but the wind goes onshore and the rain moves in. That’s a mess. Saturday the 5th is even worse – 8ft onshore slop, total washout. This is kite-surfing territory, not for paddle.

Alright, now for the first real standout. Sunday morning, 6th September – that’s the call. The wind swings offshore from the ENE, light and clean, and we’ve got a solid 6ft SW groundswell with a 14-second period. The energy is moderate at 1139, but the conditions are described as excellent for experienced surfers. The swell is over 5ft, so it’s a bit much for beginners, but for the rest of you, this is the best window in the first week. The break is a reef, so that long-period groundswell will line up nicely.

After that, we hit a quiet patch. The surf drops off significantly from Monday the 7th into Tuesday the 8th – tiny, messy, and windy. Not worth paddling out. The wave energy falls to 285 and 473, real weak stuff.

Things start to look interesting again around Tuesday, 15th September. That morning we’ve got a similar setup to the 6th: 5ft SW swell, 17-second period, clean cross-off wind from the SE. The energy is solid at 1297, and the forecast says excellent conditions for experienced surfers. This is the second standout. It’s a week and a half out, so keep an eye on it, but it’s promising.

The 16th September also offers a decent window with a clean 5ft swell and a glassy offshore breeze. That’s a nice bonus.

The very end of the run, the 17th and 18th, falls apart again with strong onshore wind and rain. Forget about it.

The only true standouts are Sunday morning, 6th September, and Tuesday morning, 15th September. Both for the clean offshore wind, moderate groundswell, and that reef break handling the long period well. Crowds are possible at Cactus, but with these conditions, it’s worth the gamble.

Stay stoked, and keep your eyes on the horizon.

Rusty

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