Catherine Hill Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag coming up at Catherine Hill Bay. The window kicks off on Sunday, the 2nd of August, with some solid, clean morning surf, but there are plenty of patches of ordinary conditions to work around. Let’s get into it.

The first real standout is Sunday morning, the 2nd of August. The swell is sitting at 5 ft out of the SSE with a nice 12-second period – that’s a proper groundswell with good energy. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the north, so the face is clean. The combined wave energy is a solid moderate 915. This is the best of the early period. It’s a breakwater setup, so it likes a longer period like this, and the swell direction is close to the optimum ESE. It’s a consistent spot, which is a bonus, but it can get crowded sometimes, so expect a few other locals out. Water temp is about average for this time of year – nothing weird, just what you’d expect.

Monday the 3rd drops off. Morning has 4 ft from the SE at 11 seconds, cross-off wind, but it’s a marginal call – the energy is moderate at 375, and the conditions just aren’t firing. Afternoon is similar but smaller at 3 ft. Tuesday the 4th is a write-off with tiny 1 ft and 1.0 ft swell – weak energy below 100, hardly worth paddling out for.

Wednesday the 5th is surfable but very ordinary. 3 ft from the south at a short 7 seconds, weak energy at 110. Clean in the morning but the period is too short to get excited. Thursday the 6th shows a bit more promise. Morning has 5 ft from the south at 8 seconds, with a light offshore from the WNW making it clean. Energy is moderate at 253. It’s a good surf call, but not a standout.

Now, Friday the 7th of August is a true standout. The morning brings a nice 7 ft SSW swell at 9 seconds, with a light cross-offshore breeze from the SW. The energy is up to 699 – moderate but pushing strong. It’s clean and the swell direction is a good match for the break. This is for the crew who know what they’re doing – 7 ft is getting up there, not for beginners, but for experienced surfers it’s a cracking session. Afternoon turns onshore and choppy, so get on it early.

Saturday the 8th has a similar morning at 6 ft from the SSE, 8-second period, cross-off wind, clean. Energy is 464. It’s a good call, but again, the afternoon gets messy. Sunday the 9th is a glassy morning with 4 ft from the SE, but the period is short at 8 seconds – energy is low at 182 – so it’s just ordinary.

There’s a gap from Monday the 10th through to Thursday the 13th of August, where the surf is either marginal or poor. A few clean mornings with small swell, but nothing you’d rush out for. The wind picks up and the conditions get lumpy. On Thursday the 13th, a big, messy 13 ft S swell arrives with a strong cross-onshore from the SSE – that’s 2753 energy, but it’s a total mess. This is more for kite surfers than paddle surfing. That lumpy, cross-onshore, powerful swell is not your friend on a shortboard.

Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th are similar – big, powerful, but onshore and choppy. 12 ft and 7 ft swells respectively, but with cross-onshore winds, so it’s blown out. Sunday the 16th drops to a more manageable 5 ft, but the wind is cross-shore and the energy is moderate at 467 – still a marginal call.

The last window is Monday the 17th of August. It’s a glassy morning with 3 ft from the SSE at 9 seconds. Energy is low at 136, so it’s surfable but very ordinary. A light wind, clean face, but you’ll be fighting for small waves.

So, to boil it down: your best bets are Sunday morning the 2nd and Friday morning the 7th of August. Both are clean, with good swell and decent energy. The rest of the period is a mix of small, short-period, or onshore conditions. Keep an eye on the forecasts, but for now, those two mornings are the ones to pencil in.

Rusty.

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