Cape Paterson Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Gather ’round, crew. Let’s talk about the next stretch at Cape Paterson. The first couple of days actually have some clean, decent-sized swell, but after that, things get real messy real quick, with a lot of lumpy, windy, and oversized conditions. The standout window is short and sweet – Sunday the 2nd and the following Saturday the 8th look like the only real clean windows worth paddling out for, with everything else being a fight against the wind or just way too big.

Sunday morning, August 2nd, is your best bet for the whole run. We’re looking at a clean 1.6m (about 5 ft) SSW groundswell with a nice long 16-second period. The wind is a light cross-offshore from the NNW, so it’s gonna be smooth, clean, and well-shaped. The water’s sitting at 14°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so no drama there. The combined wave energy is up at 1395 (moderate energy), so there’s some proper push behind it. This is a classic Cape Paterson morning – not too big, good direction, and glassy lines. If you want a wave, that’s the session.

The afternoon of the 2nd stays clean cross-off but the wind picks up to 25 km/h (about 16 mph) and the energy drops a touch. Still rideable, but the morning is the clear winner.

Monday the 3rd goes downhill fast. Strong cross-shore winds and rain start to mess things up, and that trend sticks through Tuesday and Wednesday. We get a pulse of bigger swell on Tuesday the 4th (2.0m to 2.1m, about 7 ft to 7 ft, WSW), but it’s cross-onshore or cross-shore and choppy. Not a good look for a clean ride.

Thursday and Friday (the 6th & 7th) see the swell drop right off into tiny, weak energy (308 and 358) with messy cross-onshore winds. Not worth suiting up.

Now, Saturday morning, August 8th, is your second standout. The swell settles back to a tidy 1.4m (about 5 ft) from the SW, still with a 16-second period, and the wind shifts to a light cross-offshore from the NNE. Clean lines are back, with combined energy at 1044 (moderate). The crowd factor at Cape Paterson is occasionally busy, so you might end up sharing a few sets, but with conditions like that, it’s worth the company. This is the one to circle on the calendar after the first session.

Everything after that goes a bit sideways. Sunday the 9th brings howling NNW winds at 40 km/h (about 25 mph), and Monday the 10th dumps a massive 6.0m (about 20 ft) WSW swell on us – that’s way too big for a sheltered spot like this, and definitely only for experts (if anyone). The combined energy hits an insane 10285 (very strong energy). The wind’s howling onshore, so unless you’re a tow-in crew, give it a miss.

Tuesday the 11th drops to a still-big 3.0m (about 10 ft) WSW swell with light cross-onshore wind, but the size and crumbly wind mean it’s marginal at best. Wednesday the 12th morning looks glassy with a 3.0m (about 10 ft) WSW groundswell, but 10 feet is pushing it for quality at this break – too big for clean recreation. The energy is enormous (4949), but the wave comment says it’s for experienced surfers only.

Thursday the 13th through Monday the 17th is a write-off: massive swell (4.0m to 5.0m, about 13 ft to 16 ft), strong winds, and a lot of rain. The wind is offshore or cross-off on the 13th and 14th, but the swell size is just too heavy for Cape Paterson to handle well. By the 15th and 16th, it’s a full-on storm washout with cross-onshore gales.

So, to wrap it up: don’t miss Sunday morning (Aug 2) for the cleanest, most enjoyable session of the lot. If you can’t make that, Saturday the 8th is your backup – a little smaller but still tidy. Everything else is either blown out, too big, or way too lumpy to bother.

Rusty.

Read more