Caravan Park/Lamberts Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s cooking for us at the local spot.

We’ve got one main break on the radar for the next 16 days, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The first surfable day kicks off on Friday, 21 August, but it’s a rough start. The morning is a write-off with a messy 6ft SW swell and a cross wind, and the afternoon only gets worse with poor conditions. The water is a chilly 55°, which is 4° colder than normal for this time of year – that’s a notable dip, so you’ll want a good thick wetsuit.

Saturday, 22 August is where we get our first real standout. The morning is glassy with a clean 4ft SW swell. The combined wave energy is moderate at 355. This is a great window for beginners and anyone wanting a smooth, fun session. The crowd factor is there *sometimes*, so you might have a few others out, but that morning glass is worth the early alarm.

After that, the forecast gets a bit messy. Sunday, 23 August sees a bigger 6ft swell from the WSW with a 13-second period, but the wind is cross, making it choppy. The combined energy jumps to 1226, so there’s power, but the quality is only marginal. This trend of marginal conditions and cross-onshore winds hangs around through Monday and Tuesday.

Tuesday, 25 August morning is a real gem for the experienced crew. We’ve got a clean 7ft SW groundswell, with a very long 15-second period, and light cross-offshore winds. The energy is pumping at 1705. This is a proper session for the stronger paddlers, with long, powerful lines rolling through Caravan Park. The period is so long, so expect some lulls between sets, but the wave shape will be excellent.

The rest of the week into early September is a rollercoaster. There’s a period of smaller, cleaner swell on the afternoon of Wednesday, 26 August with a 4ft WSW swell and light offshore nord-easterly winds – a solid option for intermediate surfers. But then we hit a dry spell with very small, weak swell from Thursday, 27 August through to Saturday, 29 August.

Sunday, 30 August morning shows a massive 10ft WSW swell, but the report says it’s too big for this break. For the advanced crew, it’s a spectacular sight, but the energy is a whopping 2830, and it’s just unsurfable here. The same goes for Monday, 31 August and Tuesday, 1 September – the morning of the 1st is glassy but only 4ft, which is a fun size for the less crowded times.

The second week gets wild. Wednesday, 2 September is a write-off with strong cross-onshore winds. Then Thursday, 3 September and Friday, 4 September bring in huge 13ft and 10ft swells, but again, the break is too big for these conditions. The combined energy hits 6900 and 3198 respectively – enormous, but only for the absolute experts or the tow-in crew, and even then, it’s marginal here.

The best call for the casual surfer is Saturday, 22 August morning. For the experienced crew, Tuesday, 25 August morning is the absolute standout with clean, powerful groundswell. Don’t sleep on that one.

Rusty out.

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