Cathedral Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming our way for Cathedral Rock over the next couple of weeks.

First up, we've got a solid run of groundswell on the cards. The water temp is about what you'd expect for this time of year, nothing unusual there. The main thing is that for most of this outlook, the winds are not ideal for Cathedral Rock, which is a point break that really wants offshore north winds to be its best. The swell direction is coming from the southwest, which is the optimum direction for this spot, so the potential is there, it's just the wind that's the issue for a lot of the time.

We kick things off on Wednesday the 12th. It's not the cleanest start. You've got 12 ft of SW swell with a 16-second period, which is that lovely long-period groundswell, and a combined energy of 9938. But it's coming with a 12 mph west wind, so it's a bit of a messy cross-shore chop. The afternoon cleans up a fraction with a cross-offshore breeze, dropping to 10 ft, but it's still not the pristine conditions we want.

Now, Thursday the 13th is where your eyes should be for the first stand-out. The morning bumps up to a solid 16 ft from the southwest, 16-second period, and the combined energy is massive at 18571. Even though the wind is a cross-shore 9 mph from the west, that's a lot of power. For the experienced guys, this is a proper session. The afternoon drops to 13 ft from the WSW, still with a 16-second period, and the wind backs off to 6 mph. The light cross-shore wind will put some little ripples on the face, but the size and energy (13939) are seriously impressive. Keep in mind, at over 8 ft, this is expert territory.

Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th see the swell ease back to 12 ft and 10 ft, but the wind turns more onshore or cross-onshore, dropping the quality. Not the pick of the week.

Sunday the 16th sees things dropping further to a much more manageable 7 ft from the SW, with a 14-second period. The morning has a light east wind, making it fairly clean, but the wave energy has dropped to 1779. It's small but surfable.

There's a bit of a lull from Monday the 17th through to the 22nd. The swell drops to around 5 ft or less, and the energy is low, mostly under 1000. The wind does swing offshore from the north on Tuesday the 18th and 20th, but with only 4 ft and 3 ft of swell, it's tiny and clean, not really the main event. On the 21st and 22nd, the swell picks back up slightly to 5 ft, but the wind is a moderate cross-offshore from the NW.

Now, here’s the second real highlight and it's a bit further out. On Sunday, August 23rd, we get a spike in quality. The morning brings 5 ft of swell from the SW with a very long 21-second period, and the energy is back up to 2118. But the best part is the Sunday afternoon. The wind goes glassy, with 5 ft of swell from the SW and a 19-second period. That combination of glassy conditions and a long-period groundswell is a recipe for perfection on a point break. The break is fairly consistent, but you can expect it'll pull a few people out for that session. This is a standout for the forecast period.

The following week starts with a messy pulse. Monday the 24th pushes 8 ft of swell from the SW, but with a light onshore wind, it'll be a bumpy ride. Then on Tuesday the 25th, the size jumps back to 13 ft from the WSW, with 9200 energy. The wind is a clean cross-offshore, making for powerful but manageable conditions for the experienced crew. Wednesday the 26th holds 10 ft from the SW, and finally, we get a clean offshore wind from the NNW in the morning. This is another day for the experts, with clean faces and a decent 3663 energy behind it.

The outlook ends on Thursday the 27th with a 16 mph cross-shore easterly wind and smaller 6 ft swell, which has a low energy of 874. It's a write-off.

So, to wrap it up: The first standout is Thursday the 13th for the sheer size and power if you're an expert. The second, and the one I'm most excited about, is the glassy Sunday the 23rd. That's the one to circle on the calendar, but remember, it's a way off, so the forecast could shift a little. For the rest of the time, you're mostly battling a cross or onshore wind, or the swell is just too small to get excited about.

Rusty.

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