Cape Paterson Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’m gonna be straight with you – the next couple of weeks at Cape Paterson are a tale of two halves. The first week to ten days is a write-off for decent paddling, with a heap of energy in the water but the wind just ruining it. The second week, especially towards the end, starts to show some real promise. Hold tight.

First up, the water is sitting at 56°, which is about a degree and a half warmer than normal for this time of year – feels a touch mild, but you’ll still want a decent steamer.

We’ve got a blank run from Wednesday 19 August all the way through to Tuesday 25 August. The swell is there, but it’s mostly cross-shore, cross-on, or just plain lumpy. Wave heights range from 2ft to 8ft, and the combined energy is moderate to strong (257 to 2133), but it’s all blown out. Not worth the paddle.

Then, on Wednesday 26 August, things flip. The morning sees a clean 7ft SW swell (energy 1050) with a light offshore breeze from the NE. That’s a legit window – big enough to get some power, but not too big for a confident intermediate. The afternoon goes glassy, with a 5ft SW swell (731 energy) and zero wind. That’s the standout day of the first week.

Thursday 27 August is a write-off again with strong NNW winds, and Friday 28 August brings a massive 8ft to 10ft SW swell (energy 4539 to 4944) but with cross-shore and cross-on winds. That’s only for the experts, and even then, it’s messy. The afternoon of Friday 28 has a light breeze, so it might be worth a look if you’re a charger, but it’s still lumpy.

The real highlight comes in the second week. Wednesday 3 September looks absolutely magic. Morning brings a 5ft SW swell (energy 1450) with glassy conditions – that’s a long-period groundswell (17 seconds) which will be proper clean and powerful, but at a beach-and-reef setup like Cape Paterson, it might be a bit too straight for the beach breaks. Best for the reef. That’s the pick of the forecast.

The other one to keep an eye on is Monday 31 August – a clean 3ft SW swell (energy 764) with a light offshore breeze, but it’s a long-period swell (16 seconds) so again, head for the reef.

Otherwise, the rest of the period is a mix of onshore slop, cross-chop, and barely surfable conditions. A few breaks might be okay for the dedicated, but nothing else is worth driving for.

Crowds can be around sometimes, so if you hit the good windows, you might have company.

In summary: Wednesday 26 August morning is your first chance of a decent session, and Wednesday 3 September morning is the absolute standout – glassy, long-period groundswell, and clean. Everything else is a gamble.

Rusty.

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