Cactus Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let’s break down what we’ve got on the cards for the next couple of weeks. We’ve got one main spot to focus on, and it’s looking like a solid run of swell with a few absolute gems to pick.

We’re kicking things off at Cactus (reef), and the water temp is sitting at 59°F, which is about 1°F cooler than average for this time of year, so nothing too wild there—just a touch of winter still hanging around.

The pattern starts off with a building window. The first real standout is on Monday 17th August in the afternoon. We’ve got a 4ft SW swell rolling in with a very long 16-second period, and the combined energy is a solid moderate 782. The real kicker here is the glassy, near-calm wind. It’s going to be clean as a whistle. This is a great session for intermediates and up.

Tuesday morning is blown out by a strong 19 mph wind, so we skip that. But the next big moment comes on Thursday 20th August. The morning session sees a 3ft SW swell with a 16-second period, but with a light offshore breeze, conditions are looking super clean. The afternoon gets even better: glassy again, with a 4ft SW swell, 16-second period, and combined energy of 645. It’s going to be a dreamy, uncrowded mid-week session.

The real standout of the whole period, though, is Friday 21st August in the morning. We’re seeing a 6ft SW swell, 17-second period, and a massive combined energy of 1643. The wind is a light 3 mph cross-offshore, making it glassy and clean. This is a powerful, long-period groundswell that’s going to wrap into the reef beautifully. It’s a bit too big for beginners, but for experienced surfers, this is the pick of the fortnight. Saturday 22nd August morning is almost as good: 5ft SW swell, 15-second period, and a glassy 3 mph wind. Another cracker.

The second week starts to see some fun, smaller pulses. Sunday 23rd August offers a clean 4ft SW swell with a 14-second period and a good offshore breeze—a perfect wave for the intermediate crew. Monday 24th August afternoon is also a nice little session with 3ft, glassy conditions, and a 14-second period.

After that, we hit a bit of a rough patch from the 25th to the 28th of August. The swell gets a bit bigger (up to 8ft), but the wind turns onshore and strong, making it choppy and messy. This is more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session over that few days.

The run then finishes on a high note. Saturday 29th August morning sees a clean, gentle offshore wind with 4ft SW swell at 15 seconds. Sunday 30th August afternoon is another glassy beauty with a 3ft SW swell. Monday 31st August morning and afternoon have a long-period 19-second swell, but the wind is strong at 19-22 mph, which will keep it choppy and for experts only.

So, to wrap it up: the best waves are on the Friday 21st and Saturday 22nd August mornings. Big, clean, long-period groundswell at Cactus. Get out there.

Rusty.

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