Cathedral Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a solid 16-day window coming up at Cathedral Rock, and there’s plenty to get excited about if you’re an experienced surfer. The water’s sitting at about 57°, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year – no crazy anomalies to worry about.

The whole period is dominated by a consistent SW groundswell, and with a point break set-up that likes a SSW direction, it’s a great match. The wave energy is strong to very strong throughout, starting with a reading of 2911 (moderate to strong) on the first day and ramping up.

Wednesday, September 2nd kicks things off in the morning. We’ve got a clean 8ft SW swell, with a long 16-second period, and a light WNW cross-off breeze. This is excellent for experienced surfers, and the crowds are only “sometimes” a factor, so you should have plenty of room. The afternoon stays clean but the swell nudges up to 8ft, with a 15-second period, though it gets a bit more cross-off wind. This is the pick of the first few days.

Thursday, September 3rd sees the swell build fast. Morning is a chunky 13ft with moderate cross-shore wind and a cross-chop – not the cleanest. Afternoon jumps to a massive 18ft from the WSW, with a 14-second period and moderate cross-shore chop. The wave energy is off the charts at 17959. This is big, powerful, and only for experts. The wind is messy, so it’s a real challenge.

Friday, September 4th is a beauty. Morning hits with a clean 13ft SW swell, 16-second period, and a light NNW cross-off breeze. The afternoon drops slightly to 12ft but stays clean with the same light NW cross-off. This is your stand-out window for the first week – solid groundswell, clean conditions, and the long period will make the point break peel beautifully.

Saturday, September 5th is a write-off. The morning is already messy with a fresh 22 mph WNW cross-off blowing hard over an 12ft swell, and the afternoon turns into a lumpy cross-shore mess with wind increasing. Not worth it.

Sunday, September 6th looks much better. Both the morning (10ft, 14-second period) and afternoon (8ft, 13-second period) are clean with a light WNW cross-off. Excellent conditions for experienced surfers again.

Monday, September 7th is a dud. The wind switches onshore from the SSW, and while the swell is 5-6ft, it’s poor.

Tuesday, September 8th morning is a hidden gem: a clean 5ft swell with a very long 18-second period and light offshore NW wind. This will be super clean and the long period will make paddling out easy, though it might wall up a bit at a beach break – at this point break, it’ll be sweet lines. Afternoon gets messy with cross-onshore.

From Wednesday, September 9th through to Thursday, September 10th we get a big, raw swell. Sizes hit 12ft to 15ft, but it’s plagued by cross-onshore winds and chop. The energy is massive (9779 to 12106), but it’s not a paddle-friendly situation – this is more for the kite crew than a clean surf session.

Friday, September 11th is a highlight. Morning and afternoon both have clean 7-8ft SW swell with a 14-second period and a gentle offshore NNW wind. This is perfect, lined-up surf.

Saturday, September 12th morning stays clean with a moderate offshore breeze and a 8ft swell. Afternoon gets a light cross-off and 7ft. Both are excellent.

Sunday, September 13th morning is clean again, with a 8ft SW swell and a very long 17-second period. The point will be threading beautifully. Afternoon turns choppy with a cross-onshore.

Monday, September 14th is small and poor, with 4-5ft and cross-onshore wind. Not worth it.

Tuesday, September 15th is tiny but clean in the morning (4ft) and the afternoon has a tiny 3ft with an incredible 17-second period. It’s still excellent quality, but tiny.

Wednesday, September 16th is a mess – small and choppy.

Thursday, September 17th finishes the run with a 10ft swell, a 14-16 second period, and clean conditions in the morning, though the afternoon gets some cross-shore chop.

The absolute standout is Friday, September 11th: clean 7-8ft SW groundswell, 14-second period, gentle offshore wind, and the point will be running smooth. Sunday, September 13th morning comes a close second with that very long 17-second period and light wind.

Stay stoked, and don’t sleep on that Friday.

- Rusty

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