Catherine Hill Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it. We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag coming up, but there are definitely some windows of clean, fun surf to be had.

The first half of the forecast period is pretty quiet and ordinary, but keep your eyes on a couple of crisp mornings early on, and a late run in the second week that looks promising. We’ll be focusing on Catherine Hill Bay for this whole outlook.

We kick off the run on Friday, 4th September. The morning is the real jewel here. It’s a stunner – clear skies, glassy conditions with a light NNE breeze, and a solid 1.3m (4ft) south swell wrapping in with a nice 12-second period. The water energy is sitting at 469 (moderate), and that south direction is right where this spot wants it. The water temp is about what you’d expect for this time of year, nothing wild. This is about as good as it gets for a morning session. The afternoon though? It gets chewed up by a 25 km/h (16 mph) cross-on easterly, so call it early.

Saturday, 5th, the swell drops right off. You’re looking at 0.8m (3ft) in the morning and 0.6m (2ft) in the afternoon, with strong cross-off winds. It’s clean, but just not enough push to get excited about.

Sunday, 6th, is a write-off. Tiny swell and messy cross-on winds in the arvo.

Monday, 7th September, we get another flash of that glassy goodness. Dawn patrol is looking sweet again – 1.3m (4ft) south swell, glassy with a light SSW breeze. It’s a solid 2 out of the box. The afternoon swings back to cross-on, so again, morning is the play.

Tuesday, 8th, the swell jumps up to 2.1m (7ft), but it’s a lumpy, cross-on mess. That’s a lot of power (555 energy) but the wind is killing it. This is only for the experts and even then, it’s not inviting.

Wednesday, 9th, is a bit of a reset. Morning brings a clean 1.0m (3ft) south swell with a light offshore, but the energy is weak (181). It’s surfable, but nothing to write home about.

Then we hit a big, gnarly window from Thursday, 10th September through to Monday, 14th. This is a gap of several days with no real recommendations. The swell gets huge – 3.0m (10ft) on Thursday with energy readings of 2172 and 4503 – but it’s all being hammered by strong, onshore southerly winds. It’s a kite-surfing show, not a paddle-surfing one. The early part of the second week is a total loss.

Tuesday, 15th September, we start to see a light at the end of the tunnel. The afternoon session looks the goods – a clean 1.4m (5ft) south swell with a light offshore wind from the NW. The energy is back up to 334 (moderate), and the period is a punchy 9 seconds. This is the standout of the second week.

Wednesday, 16th morning is another beauty. Glassy conditions, a 1.1m (4ft) south swell, and a light offshore breeze. The water is clean, the energy is solid (224). It’s a perfect little window for a mid-week sneak.

After that, it all falls apart again. Thursday, 17th and Friday, 18th bring gale-force winds and messy, blown-out conditions. The swell is on the way up, but you won’t want to be out there.

So, the bottom line: your best bets are Friday morning, 4th September, and Monday morning, 7th September. Those are the standouts. For the second week, look to Tuesday afternoon, 15th and Wednesday morning, 16th for a clean, promising session, but keep in mind it’s a longer-range call so keep an eye on it.

Stay stoked.

Rusty.

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