Cap Sim Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright crew, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what Cap Sim has lined up for us over the next couple of weeks. To be straight with you, the start isn’t great. We’ve got a few days of poor conditions to sit through before the windows of decent surf open, so don’t rush down there just yet. Hang tight and pick your sessions carefully.

Looking at the whole period, the wind is a constant factor, blowing mostly cross-off from the north which keeps things clean but often too strong for a comfortable paddle. The swell stays small to moderate for the most part. The real standout is a pulse of energy that arrives around the 22nd – though the wind gets too gnarly to enjoy it properly.

From Saturday the 15th through to Friday the 21st, it's looking very ordinary. The water’s much colder than normal for this time of year at 64°, around 6° cooler than average – a real shock to the system if you jump in. The waves on Saturday are poor quality, around 4ft from the north with a short period of 7 seconds, and the wind is a moderate breeze at 16 mph from the north. The combined swell energy is telling you it’s moderate at 252, but the shape is messy. Through the rest of that week, we get small windswell between 2ft and 5ft, mostly from the NNW, with period hovering around 7-8 seconds. The wind stays moderate to fresh, keeping the surface clean but offering very little real power. A couple of mornings on Monday the 17th show a light breeze and a longer 9-second period swell at 5ft from the NNW, and that’s the most decent you’ll find in this stretch – combined energy at 287, so the strength is there, but it’s not going to blow your mind. Still, you can get a few clean ones then if you’re keen.

Things get more interesting – and more wild – from Saturday the 22nd. We see a jump in swell energy: on Saturday and Sunday, the combined energy reads as high as 402 and 430 (strong). That’s serious power for Cap Sim, with the swell up around 4ft to 5ft from the NNW and a slightly better period of 8-10 seconds. However, the wind turns into a fresh breeze all day, blowing 16-22 mph from the north-northeast, so you are dealing with strong cross-off conditions that make paddling a battle. It’s clean on the face but very challenging. By Sunday the 23rd, the period hits 10 seconds – that’s groundswell energy, shaping better waves and offering longer lulls between sets, ideal for this reef set-up if you can handle the breeze. Expect crowds possible here as it’s fairly consistent and the optimum swell direction from the NNW matches perfectly with the break.

Then from Monday the 24th through Wednesday the 26th, the wind really cranks – up to near gale force on the 25th afternoon at 31 mph from the north-northeast. The swell holds at 5ft to 7ft from the north, but with a short 6-7 second period. At that size (over 5ft), it’s getting too big for beginners, and with the strong offshore gusts it becomes expert territory and borderline for kitesurfing rather than paddling. The combined energy stays high at 316 to 394.

After that, we taper off into the final days of August. From the 27th onward, you get some cleaner mornings with lighter north winds at 12-16 mph and swell around 5ft-5ft from the north, period settling back to 8 seconds. It’s marginal but can be surfed – you’ll find some workable waves, but nothing special. The energy drops off noticeably to 265-300, still moderate. By the weekend of the 30th that energy is weak, down to 89.

The standout really is Monday morning the 17th and Monday morning the 24th if you’re an expert. For the average surfer, aim for the good conditions on Monday the 17th when the wind is light and the 5ft NNW set is clean and rideable. The bigger pulse around the 22nd-23rd is impressive but only for strong, confident paddlers in the gusty winds.

Stay patient, pick your days.

Rusty.

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