Cap Sim Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Looks like we’ve got one spot on the radar for the next couple of weeks, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag.

We’re looking at Cap Sim, a reef break that needs a solid NW to get going. The water is sitting at 65° right now, which is a staggering 6° colder than usual for this time of year—that’s freakishly cold, so don’t even think about ditching the hood.

The outlook starts Monday, August 24th, with some waist-chest high swell coming in at 6ft from the NW, with a period of 11 seconds. The wind is a cross-off from the NNE, so it’s clean. The combined energy is moderate (665). The problem is, the scores are low, and the guidance says it’s marginal. It’s a bit of a tease. After lunch, the wind picks up to 19 mph from the north, and the swell period drops to 10 seconds, making it pretty ugly.

Tuesday the 25th and Wednesday the 26th are write-offs. The swell drops, the period gets shorter, and the wind is up. You’d be wasting your time.

Thursday the 27th is flat with a tiny 2ft swell in the morning and a messy 4ft in the afternoon, all blown out by a strong breeze. No go.

Friday the 28th is a hard pass. We’ve got a 7ft N swell on the morning with a shocking 6-second period, and the wind is a howling 28 mph from the NE. The energy is weak (302) for that size. It’s a washing machine. The afternoon gets even worse with 34 mph winds. Forget it.

Now, Saturday the 29th is the first real standout. The morning session looks promising. We’ve got a 7ft NNW groundswell with a solid 11-second period, and the wind is offshore from the NNE at 19 mph. The combined energy is strong (1111). This is a proper, powerful NW swell hitting the optimum direction. This is the one to circle. It’s going to be heavy, and over 8ft it’s expert territory, so leave the foamie at home. The setup is a reef, so that long period will line up nicely. After lunch, the wind swings cross-off and the quality drops.

Sunday the 30th and Monday the 31st drop back to 6ft windswell with a short period, and the wind is cross-off. It’s surfable if you’re desperate, but it won’t be memorable.

The first week of September is a grim run of poor conditions. Strong winds, short periods, and messy swell. Tuesday the 1st has a brief moment of offshore wind in the afternoon with a 8ft N swell, but the period is a useless 7 seconds. It’s a choppy mess.

There’s a big gap of nothing really good until the second week. Then, around September 6th and 7th, we see a massive groundswell arriving. On Sunday the 6th, the swell is only 5ft but the period is a very long 13 seconds from the NW, with energy climbing to 953. The wind is still cross-off though, so it’s clean but not glassy.

The real highlight of the whole forecast is on Monday, September 7th. The morning has a 4ft swell from the WNW with an absolutely massive 21-second period. The combined energy is huge (2292). This is a very long period groundswell that will wrap perfectly into the reef. The wind is a cross-off from the NNE. This is a long-range opportunity, so it’s promising but not certain. The afternoon sees the swell jump to 6ft with a 17-second period, still with strong energy (1954).

Tuesday the 8th continues the run with 6ft to 6ft swell from the WNW and NW, with periods of 14 to 13 seconds and strong energy. The wind remains cross-off. It’s a solid run of powerful, clean surf for the experts.

The best call? Saturday, August 29th morning for the first decent punch of swell, and Monday, September 7th morning for the truly long-period, high-energy groundswell. The spot can get crowded sometimes, so get there early.

Rusty, signing off.

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