Cape Paterson Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here, checkin’ the Cape Paterson forecast for the next couple weeks. We’ll skip the first few days ‘cause it’s a real dog’s breakfast.

Tuesday afternoon kicks off with a 4ft SW swell and a 12 mph cross-on wind— choppy, messy, not worth wetting a suit. Wednesday and Thursday only get worse with the swell building to 11ft on Wednesday afternoon, but it’s pinned by onshore 18 mph wind that’s blowing the foam off. The water’s sittin’ at 57°, which is about a degree and a half warmer than usual, so it’s not freezing, but the wind’ll make you forget that.

First real glimmer is Saturday the 12th. Morning brings clean conditions with a light 3 mph cross-off breeze, and a 6ft SW groundswell with a long 16-second period. The energy’s up there (1761), and by afternoon it goes glassy— dead flat calm. That’s your window: Saturday, both sessions, for the advanced guys. The break’s a beach and reef number that breaks fairly consistently, but with those long-period pulses, the reef sections will hold the best shape. Crowds are sometimes a thing, but with that glass, expect some company.

Sunday the 13th fades quick. Swell drops to 5ft in the morning with a 15 mph cross-off wind keepin’ it clean-ish, but the energy’s half what it was (979). Afternoon’s a dribbler.

From the 14th through the 18th, it’s mostly poor or marginal. There’s a brief window on the morning of Tuesday the 15th with a 8ft swell and light cross-on winds, but it’s too lumpy to call good. Saturday the 19th brings a big 13ft WSW groundswell (energy 5088), cross-off winds at 15 mph— clean, but that size at Cape Paterson is expert-only territory. Even then, it’s a bit raw.

Now, the real standout: Wednesday the 23rd of September. That morning delivers excellent conditions for experienced surfers. You’ve got a 10ft WSW groundswell (energy 4323), a light 6 mph offshore from the N, and clean lines. The period is a tasty 16 seconds— proper groundswell with loads of push. That’s the pick of the whole run— big, clean, and lined up. Afternoon picks up a light cross-shore, so the morning’s your go.

Bottom line: Saturday the 12th for a smaller, glassy session, and Wednesday the 23rd for the big, clean bomb set. Everything else, you’re just watching the wind win.

Rusty.

Read more