Cape Schanck Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's get into it.

Alright, cobber, we've got a bit of a mixed bag coming our way over the next couple of weeks. The main focus is on Cape Schanck, a reef setup that's going to see some serious pulse of south-west groundswell, but the wind is going to be the real deal-breaker for most of it.

The action starts on Thursday the 16th but it's a bit marginal – 8ft of SW swell with a 15 second period. That's a long-period groundswell, so it'll have heaps of energy (2416) and those long waits between sets, but with the wind blowing onshore it's going to be a messy affair. Not worth getting too excited about.

Friday the 17th is your best bet early on. We've got a solid 7ft of SW swell (16 seconds) and the wind swings around to a light NNW breeze, giving us a clean cross-off. The water temp is about average for this time of year. This is the one to circle. For experienced surfers, this is going to be excellent – clean, powerful lines rolling in. The combined energy is massive at 2275.

Saturday the 18th sees the swell drop a touch to 5-6ft. The morning has some cross-shore bump, but the afternoon glass-off with a light NNE breeze should clean it right up with a smaller 5ft swell (880 energy). A good session for the more chilled surfer.

Then we hit a nasty spot. From Sunday the 19th right through to Thursday the 23rd, the surf pretty much dies. We're talking tiny, poor conditions with energy readings in the single digits or low hundreds. There’s a small window on Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st with some weak 3-3ft swell, but the wind is up and the quality is rubbish. Basically, a blank run of nearly a week.

Things get interesting again towards the end of the month, but with a big health warning. Friday the 24th kicks off another solid 8ft SW swell (14 seconds, 2116 energy) but we get hammered by a howling 28 mph cross-shore wind. Then it switches onshore and stays lumpy and dangerous through to Sunday the 26th. The swell is big (over 7ft) but the wind is absolutely trashing it. This is expert territory and only if you're desperate, or maybe better for the kite crew if you're into that.

Monday the 27th and Tuesday the 28th are more promising. The swell holds at a solid 7-7ft (SW, 12-13 seconds) and the wind goes cross-off from the NNW. It's a strong breeze (16-25 mph), so it'll be a bumpy ride, but it will be clean. The energy is still strong (around 1400). This is for experienced surfers only because the size is up there.

The real standout for the back half of the forecast is Wednesday the 29th. The swell drops to a more manageable 5ft from the SW (11 seconds), the energy drops to a moderate 619, and we get a gentle offshore breeze from the NE. That's clean, glassy conditions on a dropping swell. This is going to be a great day for intermediate surfers and a fun session for everyone.

After that, it turns to rubbish again with strong onshore winds and rain on Thursday the 30th and Friday the 31st.

So, in short: Friday the 17th is your top pick for a powerful, clean session for the advanced crew. Wednesday the 29th is the best all-rounder for a clean, fun surf on smaller waves. Stay away from the 24th-26th unless you're an expert with a death wish or a kite in your hand.

Rusty.

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