Cape Schanck Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your wetties, ‘cause we’re looking at over two weeks at Cape Schanck, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag with a few gems hidden in there.

The first few days are honestly a write-off thanks to a south-westerly blow, but things start to tidy up towards the end of the week. The real standout window looks to be from Monday the 31st of August into Wednesday the 2nd of September, where we get those clean, glassy conditions that make this reef sing.

So, let’s break it down.

Wednesday 26th and Thursday 27th are for kicking back. Wednesday is a mess with onshore southerly winds at 16 mph ruining an otherwise juicy swell. You’re looking at a combined wave energy of 1325 (moderate) behind it but it’s just blown-out. Thursday morning sees the wind swing to a cross-offshore NNW at 9 mph, and the swell drops to 4 ft from the SW. That’s a clean start to the day with 485 (gentle) energy. It’s not big, but it’s workable. Thursday afternoon gets even better with the wind going glassy from the North at 3 mph and a 4 ft SW swell (449). That’s the sweet spot for a cruiser session.

Friday 28th is a step backwards. The morning is cross-onshore and choppy with a 5 ft SW swell but strong energy at 1193. The afternoon comes in onshore at 7 ft and that’s too much with these winds. Forget it.

Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th are marginal. Saturday’s onshore again with a 6 ft to 5 ft range. Sunday has a 6 ft SW swell but the wind is cross-shore and messy. Not great.

Now here’s the gold.

Monday 31st August is your pick of the first week. The morning is clean with a cross-offshore NNW breeze at 9 mph. You’ve got a solid 7 ft SW groundswell at a long 15-second period, packing a combined energy of 1661 (strong). That’s proper power. The afternoon holds strong with a 6 ft SW swell and 14-second period (1922 in energy) under a lighter cross-offshore Northerly. This is the one to circle — quality, powerful, and clean. Cape Schanck is a reef, so that long-period swell will wrap in nicely.

Tuesday 1st September: Morning is clean but those NNW winds are howling at 25 mph. The swell is 5 ft with a long 16-second period (1360), but it’s a battle. The afternoon gets messy with that cross-shore wind. Skip it.

Wednesday 2nd September: Here’s your second standout. Morning is clean with a cross-offshore NNW at 9 mph. The swell jumps to 7 ft from the SW with a 15-second period and a massive 1906 combined energy. That’s powerful, lined-up groundswell. This is for experienced surfers only as it’ll be well overhead and grinding down the reef. The afternoon stays clean but the wind picks up a bit.

After that, Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th are a return to slop and strong winds. By Saturday 5th and into the second week, the size really kicks up with 8 ft to 10 ft from the SW but it’s plagued by strong onshore winds. The energy readings are huge (3653 on Saturday afternoon), but it’s going to be a washing machine — honestly, more of a kite-surfing scene than anything for us paddle guys.

Sunday 6th through to Tuesday 8th September continues that theme of big, powerful SW swells (10 ft, 7 ft) but with generally onshore or cross-onshore winds in the moderate range. Groundswell energy stays high (up to 3385), but the wave quality is poor to marginal. You’d need to be an expert to handle the size, but the wind will make it a challenge.

Wednesday 9th September offers a last little tease — a clean morning with a cross-offshore NNW, 5 ft SW swell at a 16-second period (1250 energy). Worth a look if you’re keen. After that, the swell completely drops away into Thursday and Friday, with nothing surfable left.

Just a heads up on the water temp: it’s sitting at 57°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year — so maybe ditch the steamer gloves for a bit longer.

Overall, circle Monday 31st August and Wednesday 2nd September as your days to go. Big, clean, powerful groundswell. The rest has too much wind or is too big and messy. Don’t get too excited about the second week’s big numbers—they come with wind problems.

Rusty.

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