Cactus Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at the next couple of weeks for our stretch of coast.

The window opens with a bit of a slow start. Thursday the 20th is pretty marginal – there’s some swell, but it’s cross-onshore and choppy, so not really worth getting wet for. We’re looking at about a day and a half of that before things clean up.

The first real highlight lands on Saturday morning, the 22nd. We’ve got a nice 5ft SW swell, light offshore NE wind, and it’s clean. That’s your window. The energy is moderate (1302), and it’s an exposed reef setup, so it’ll have some punch. Definitely the best session of the first week.

Sunday morning, the 23rd, is still okay – cross-off wind and a 6ft SW swell at 17 seconds (that’s a proper groundswell) – but the afternoon is the one to watch. Glassy conditions, light air, and a 5ft SW swell. It’ll be smooth and lined up. Good for a longboard or a funboard.

Monday the 24th drops off quickly, and by Tuesday the 25th it’s blown out – onshore winds and lumpy. Avoid. That poor spell hangs around for a few days. Wednesday the 26th is small and clean but weak.

Then things get interesting. Thursday the 27th has some proper energy building – the afternoon sees a 6ft SW swell with a 19-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 2402. That’s a strong one. The wind is cross-off and clean, so it should be hollow and fast. This is the standout of the second week, but it’s still a few days out, so treat it as promising rather than locked in.

Friday the 28th afternoon is another spike – 8ft from the WSW, strong energy (3500) – but that’s getting big, and with a 16-second period, it’s going to be powerful. Only for experienced surfers. The wind is cross-off and clean, so it’ll hold its shape, but it’ll be a handful.

Saturday the 29th morning is slightly smaller at 8ft, still WSW, with a moderate offshore breeze. Clean, but again, big. The rest of the weekend and into Monday the 31st sees it drop off and turn onshore – Monday afternoon is a full-on onshore mess, so stay away.

Tuesday the 1st of September morning is a nice surprise – glassy, light offshore, and a clean 5ft WSW swell. Good conditions, but the energy is only moderate (950). Still, a solid session if you’re keen.

After that, the wind turns again in the first few days of September, with onshore and cross-onshore winds making conditions poor from the 3rd onwards. No real standouts there.

So, overall: Saturday the 22nd morning is your best early call, and Thursday the 27th afternoon is the big one to watch – that long-period SW groundswell with clean cross-off wind is going to be special if it holds. The rest is a mix of clean windows and blown-out spells, so pick your times.

For the water temp, it’s sitting at 59°, which is about normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Keep an eye on that Thursday the 27th – that’s the one.

Rusty.

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