Cape Paterson Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Cape Paterson over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a mixed bag. The start of the period looks clean but a bit challenging with some solid groundswell. The standout session by a long shot comes much later, on the morning of the 25th of September. That’s a real treat, but I’ll get to that. The first real window of opportunity is this Saturday morning, the 12th.

Saturday morning, 12th September looks like your best early bet. We’ve got a solid 7 ft SW groundswell with a period of 16 seconds, packing a strong (2054) punch of combined energy. The wind is light from the NNW at 3 mph, sitting cross-offshore, so the lines will be clean. This is big, powerful stuff—over the 5 ft mark, so it’s not for beginners. Water temp sits at 57°, which is about 2° warmer than usual for this time of year, so it feels a touch more pleasant than you’d expect. The swell direction is right in the pocket for Cape Paterson’s optimum. You’ll want to be on it early because the wind shifts to a southerly by the afternoon, bringing on a cross-on breeze which will mess things up.

Sunday, the 13th, drops a notch into the 4 ft to 5 ft range with cleaner wind. The morning sees a 9 mph northerly cross-off, but the energy is moderate (763) compared to Saturday. It's still a decent option for a session if you missed the Saturday swell, but the quality takes a step back. By Monday the 14th, the swell dips under 3 ft with moderate cross-shore breeze—not worth the paddle. Then we hit a tough stretch.

From the 15th through the 20th, it’s mostly a write-off for quality surfing. The swell tries to push through midweek, but the wind is all over the place—strong onshore and cross-on conditions. Tuesday the 15th has a 8 ft to 10 ft WSW swell, but with 22 to 25 mph onshore winds, that’s a messy, blown-out mess. These days are better spent on other hobbies. If you’re looking for a silver lining, it’s that the swell is showing reasonable energy, just not with any friendly wind.

Conditions finally start cleaning up again around the 23rd of September. Wednesday morning brings a light offshore from the NE at 6 mph, with a 7 ft SW swell at 15 seconds. It’s not huge, and the combined energy (1860) is solid. This is a good session for experienced surfers looking for a clean window and longer set waves, especially at a spot like Cape Paterson that loves a SW groundswell.

But the real jewel of this 16-day window is Friday, the 25th of September. The morning session is properly special. You get a 8 ft SW swell with an absolute monster period of 19 seconds—that’s very long period groundswell, and the energy is through the roof at (4861). On top of that, the wind is a light 6 mph from the east, cross-offshore. Perfect. Then the afternoon turns even better: the swell holds at 8 ft with an 18 second period, and the wind drops to dead calm. Glassy conditions, no wind ripples. That is the session to circle on your calendar. The water temp anomaly is still there (but we already mentioned that). Just keep in mind, these long period swells (over 15 seconds) tend to break a bit straight at beach breaks, but at Cape Paterson with a bit of reef structure, you’ll get some nice lines.

The last few days of September see dropping quality. Saturday the 26th has strong winds again, and Sunday the 27th brings a massive 21 ft stormy swell with onshore wind—only for the absolute diehards or maybe those looking to kite surf instead. The energy is extreme (14540), but the quality is not there for paddling.

One final word: Cape Paterson can get crowded sometimes, so for that killer Friday session, you might want to be there early.

Stay stoked.

Rusty.

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