Caravan Park/Lamberts Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what the water’s doing for us. We’re focusing on Caravan Park/Lamberts Bay. It’s a river mouth setup, which can be a bit fickle, but when conditions line up, it offers some mellow waves perfect for beginners.

Right off the bat, the water is sitting at 54°, which is a massive 5° colder than what’s normal for this time of year. That’s a proper chill, so you’ll want a good thick wetsuit.

There’s a rough patch right now with those WSW swells and a lot of wind, but don’t write this stretch off just yet.

The first real sniff of something good comes late in the first week. Thursday, 21 August morning looks decent. We’ll see a 5ft WSW swell with a 11-second period from the groundswell. The wind swings offshore out of the ENE at 15 mph, cleaning things right up. The energy in the water is moderate (492), but those clean conditions should make for some fun, rideable waves.

Then things get a bit lumpy for a few days with onshore winds, but hold on for Sunday, 23 August morning. That’s a standout. The wind goes glassy—dead calm, 3 mph from the south. The swell drops to a clean 6ft from the WSW at 12 seconds. Combined energy is moderate (849), but that glassy surface is gold. It’s going to be clean and inviting, perfect for a long session. Just keep an eye out, as crowds can pop up here sometimes.

Monday, 24 August morning is another strong call. The wind is a light offshore breeze from the ESE at 6 mph. You’ve got a 5ft WSW swell with an 11-second period. The water looks clean, and the energy (713) is solid. This is a great follow-up to the Sunday glass-off.

The swell starts to fade by Tuesday, 25 August—dropping to 3ft—but the morning still has a clean, cross-off wind and a 13-second period from the SW. It’ll be small and clean, a good one for a longboard or a learner.

Looking into the second week, the standout is Friday, 28 August morning. This one is promising but less certain this far out. There’s a solid 10ft swell from the WSW with a 14-second period. That’s a lot of energy (3127). The wind is a light cross-shore from the SSW. However, at that size it’s going to be too big and powerful for beginners, and with the period being long, it might break a bit straight at the river mouth. For the experienced crew, it could offer some big, powerful walls.

To be honest, for much of the rest of the second week, the winds are mostly onshore or cross-shore, making it choppy and messy. For a river mouth break, that’s not a great look. The combination of onshore wind and moderate swell might make it more interesting for the kite-surfing crew than paddle surfing.

So, to wrap it up: the best windows are Sunday 24th morning and Monday 25th morning for clean, fun waves. The big swell on Friday 28th morning is one for the experts only.

Rusty out.

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