Cactus Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what’s coming down the pipe for Cactus.

We’ve got a solid run of surf on the way, but it’s a bit of a mixed bag for quality. The first recommendations kick off on Friday morning, the 28th of August. The overall pattern shows a decent SW groundswell hanging around, but the wind’s going to be the deciding factor on whether you score or get skunked. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing wild to report there.

Friday morning kicks things off with a 5ft SW swell rolling in. The period is a lengthy 16 seconds, so there’s proper energy behind it – the combined energy reading is a hefty 1144. The wind is blowing cross-off from the north at 15 mph, which will keep the faces clean. The afternoon cleans up a bit more with lighter winds, but the swell drops slightly to 4.6ft.

Saturday the 29th is the first little standout. The morning sees a smaller 3ft SW swell, but with a 14-second period, it’ll still have some shape. The key is a clean offshore breeze from the NE at 12 mph. This will make for some tidy lines. The afternoon stays clean but the wind shifts a touch cross-off.

Sunday the 30th offers another good window. The swell drops further to 2ft in the morning, but it’s a long-period 19-second groundswell. The energy is still moderate at 414, and the morning sees a gentle offshore breeze from the ENE at 9 mph, so it’ll be glassy and clean. The afternoon sees the swell bump up to 2.6ft with the same long 19-second period, and the combined energy jumps to a nice 700.

Monday the 31st is where it starts to get interesting. The swell bumps up to 5.2ft from the SW with a very long 19-second period in the morning. The combined energy is strong at 1659. Winds are a steady cross-off out of the NNE at 12 mph. The afternoon stays similar.

Now, Tuesday the 1st of September is a write-off. Strong, lumpy winds will ruin the lines. That continues into Wednesday the 2nd with some onshore chop making things ugly.

Thursday the 3rd sees the swell building again, hitting 6.6ft in the afternoon with a 14-second period and massive combined energy of 2467. But the onshore wind keeps things choppy. This one is for the experienced crew only.

The big highlight is Friday the 4th of September. Thursday night’s energy holds over, and we wake up to a 6.9ft SW groundswell with a 15-second period. The combined swell energy is a solid 1865. The kicker? Glassy conditions. The wind is virtually nothing, and the report says "glassy" – that’s as perfect as it gets for a wave this size. It’s a strong, clean, powerful swell, but at 6.9ft, it’s pushing into expert territory at this reef. If you’ve got the skills and the board, this is the session to circle. The afternoon gets a bit messy with onshore wind, so make the morning mission.

After that, we get a mixed bag through to the 6th and 7th with dropping swell and onshore winds. Things clean up again on Tuesday the 8th of September with clean, cross-off winds and a 3.6ft swell that goes glassy in the afternoon.

Then we get a look into the second week. Thursday the 10th of September brings a solid 9.8ft SW swell, but it’s on the cross-shore side. Then, look at Friday the 11th of September. It’s a long way out, so take it with a grain of salt, but the models are showing a big, clean setup. An 8.2ft SW groundswell with an 18-second period and combined energy of 4496. And the wind? Glassy again. If this holds, it could be the best day of the whole run, but it’s a 16-day forecast, so don’t book time off work just yet.

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