Cap Sim Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your suit, let’s talk about what’s happening at Cap Sim. It’s a reef setup, and this stretch is looking pretty bleak for the most part. It’s gonna be a real wait-and-see deal, but there are a couple of windows where it might just turn on.

We’ve got a big dry spell at the start. The water is a crazy 63°F, which is 7°F colder than normal for this time of year. That’s not a little nippy, that’s a full-on winter wetsuit, booties, hood, the whole deal. It’s a major standout, but not in a good way.

Don’t even bother paddling out on Wednesday the 12th. The swell’s tiny, only 1ft from the WNW, and the wind is a cross-off at 30 km/h. The energy is completely dead, just a reading of 62. It’s a flat, frustrating day.

Thursday the 13th sees a pulse of swell, jumping to 6ft, but it’s all short-period, wind-slop from the N at 6 seconds. The direction is okay for the break, but the quality is just poor. The energy is moderate at 317, but it’s not going to be any fun. The wind stays a cross-off around 12-15 mph. Friday and Saturday follow the same pattern: 5ft to 5ft of junky N windswell, still short period, and moderate energy in the 260-352 range. It’s just messy.

Sunday the 16th is more of the same, with 5-6ft of NNW swell and energy building to a moderate 432, but there’s still an 18-22 mph cross-off breeze. Still not worth the paddle.

Monday the 17th gets a slightly better period of 9 seconds on the NNW swell, but the conditions are still only marginal. The wind eases to 12 mph. The energy is holding at a moderate 406-408.

Here’s where things get interesting. Tuesday the 18th is your first real standout. The wind drops out completely in the morning, going glassy at 3 mph. The swell is still a clean 5ft from the NNW with a 9-second period. The energy is moderate at 367. This is the cleanest surf you’ll see in this window. This is the one to make the most of. The afternoon stays clean with a gentle cross-off, but the glassy morning is the pick.

Wednesday the 19th morning stays glassy again! Another 5ft of NNW swell with a 9-second period. But the afternoon shifts to a cross-on wind, so get your waves in early. This is another crisp, clean morning session.

Thursday the 20th eases down to 4ft, but it’s still clean and glassy early, with a light cross-off. The energy is weak, around 203-237. It’ll be small, but if you’re on a longboard, the morning could still be a fun one.

After that, Friday the 21st starts to get a bit messier. The swell bumps back up to 5ft, but the period drops back to 8 seconds and the wind picks up to 15 mph, becoming a fresh breeze by the afternoon. The quality drops right off. The weekend of the 22nd and 23rd is just more of that stronger, short-period, cross-off wind. The energy gets strong at 443 on Sunday afternoon, but it’s not going to be clean. Sunday morning has a fresh offshore at 18 mph, which will leave it blown out.

Monday the 24th morning offers a final glimmer. A moderate offshore at 15 mph and a 5ft N swell. It won’t be as clean as Tuesday, but it’s a session.

The rest of the run into the end of the month is a whole lot of nothing. The winds stay stiff from the north, the swell is just average in size, and the periods stay short. The energy cranks up to a strong 463 on Wednesday the 26th, but it’s all cross-off and shorter-period, so it’s gonna be a battle and not much else.

So, in the end, your real windows are the mornings of Tuesday August 18th and Wednesday August 19th. That’s where you’ll find the best conditions with clean, glassy waves and a solid NW groundswell. If you get a chance to be out there, take it.

- Rusty

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