Cap Frehel Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at the next couple of weeks here at Cap Frehel. Honestly, it’s a tough stretch. The water is a balmy 68°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only thing that’s in our favour. The swell is there, but the wind and conditions are just fighting us every step of the way. We’re looking at a solid 16-day window with no real standout, just a few moments that might be worth a paddle if you’re desperate.

The first week is a washout. Friday, the 4th, kicks off with a messy 3ft W swell at 8 seconds, but with a strong 25 km/h cross-on wind, it’s choppy and poor. The afternoon gets worse, with a 4ft swell but onshore winds hitting 30 km/h. Saturday the 5th is a little better with a 3ft NW groundswell at 12 seconds – that long period means more energy and better shape, but the wind is still cross-on or cross. The combined energy is moderate at around 200, but it’s just not clean. Sunday the 6th has clean offshore winds from the SE, but the swell drops to a tiny 1ft, and the energy is a weak 38. Not worth suiting up.

The middle of the week is no better. Monday the 7th through Wednesday the 9th sees the swell bump up to 4ft to 5ft, with moderate energy (around 150-273), but it’s all cross-on or onshore, creating choppy, blown-out surf. Thursday the 10th and Friday the 11th are more of the same – messy cross-on wind and poor quality. The weekend of the 12th and 13th is a write-off, with strong winds making it lumpy and ugly, and the swell dropping to barely 1ft.

The second week doesn’t offer much relief. Monday the 14th is flat, with a 0.7ft swell. Tuesday the 15th brings a bit more size, up to 5ft, but it’s a short-period 6-second windswell with fresh cross-on winds – messy and lumpy. The energy is moderate (170), but it’s not a surfing wave, more of a wind-kiting setup. The rest of the week is small and ordinary.

There is one tiny glimmer. On Thursday the 17th, the morning shows a 2ft WNW swell with a 9-second period and a light cross-offshore wind from the SW. The combined energy is low (48), but it’s clean. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. The afternoon turns back to poor.

For the whole 16 days, there’s nothing that jumps out as a good option. The consistent issue is the wind direction – it’s almost always onshore or cross-on, which kills the quality at this exposed reef break. If you’re a beginner, the swell is small enough for you on most days, but the chop will make it frustrating. The bigger days (over 5ft) are all blown out anyway. This is one of those periods where the forecast might change, but as it stands, it’s a blank run.

- Rusty

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