Cape Paterson Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Cape Paterson. It’s a bit of a messy start, to be honest. The next few days are going to be a write-off for a proper surf – we’ve got strong cross-shore winds and a lumpy, chopped-up ocean. You’ll see the energy is there, but it’s all over the place. The combined energy is reading 2300 on Monday morning, and it just gets messier from there. We’re looking at a few days of onshore junk before things start to clean up.

The first real chance of anything decent doesn’t show up until Saturday the 15th. The wind finally drops right out, going light and then glassy, but that swell is still a bit raw and the quality is marginal. The period is a solid 15 seconds, so it’s got some push, but it’s not a clean proposition just yet. We’re looking at 7ft of WSW swell, which is a bit of a handful for most, and the banks might be struggling to hold it together.

Sunday the 16th is more of the same story, but the wind swings around to a cross-offshore from the east which will help clean it up a fraction. Still, the size is dropping and the conditions are merely workable, not epic.

The real standout, and the one I’d circle on the calendar, is Tuesday the 18th. Overnight the wind goes light and the ocean just turns to glass. We’ve got a 5ft SW groundswell with a 14-second period, and it’s clean. The combined energy is reading 1031, which is moderate, but with that light offshore wind, it’s going to be the best the bank has looked in a week. The wave comment says “expect very good surf conditions,” and for once, I believe it. The afternoon looks good too, with a glassy 4ft on offer.

Wednesday the 19th is a solid follow-up, with a slightly smaller but still clean 4ft WSW swell and glassy conditions again. It’ll be a fun one, just not as much size as Tuesday.

After that, we hit a bit of a flat patch. Thursday the 20th drops off to under 3ft, and it’s not worth paddling out for. But hold on, because Friday the 21st brings another pulse of WSW swell, pushing back up to 6ft on the morning with a light offshore wind. That’s another promising window – the energy is reading 1301, and the comment says “expect very good surf conditions.” It looks like a proper little run of waves.

The weekend of the 22nd and 23rd keeps the momentum with clean, cross-offshore conditions and consistent 5-5ft SW swell. The 23rd has a nice gentle offshore wind in the morning which will have the waves looking pretty perfect.

The final days of the window are a mixed bag. Monday the 24th has a small clean 4ft in the morning, but the afternoon gets a bit messy. Then Tuesday the 25th throws a curveball – the swell jumps back to 7ft but the period is a very short 8 seconds. That’s just windswell chop, not a proper groundswell, so it’ll be a bit of a mess even if it’s glassy. It’s one for the experts only, if anyone.

So, the pick of the fortnight is easily Tuesday the 18th. That’s the one where everything lines up – size, period, and glassy conditions. The Friday the 21st session is a close second. The rest is just picking through the average days.

Rusty.

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