Chapadmalal Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s take a look at what’s going down at Chapadmalal. This ain’t a week to get overly excited, but there are a couple of windows if you’re keen and patient. The water temp is running about 50°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – a nice little bonus if you’re in a wetsuit.

The forecast kicks off on Tuesday, 25th August, with some small, marginal surf hanging around. It’s not really worth paddling out for just yet, with swell around 4 ft from the southeast and the wind coming out of the north-northeast at 15 mph. The wave energy is moderate (677), but it’s just not clean enough to be exciting.

Wednesday the 26th sees a bit of a lift. The morning has the swell bumping up to 6 ft from the southeast, with a long period of 16 seconds. That’s some serious groundswell energy moving through, and the combined energy jumps to a chunky 1493. The wind is still cross-off from the north, but it’s a bit fresh at 15 mph. This is definitely a session for experienced surfers – that size and period will be pushing hard on the exposed points. The afternoon drops to 5 ft, still with reasonable energy (1131), but the quality holds if the wind doesn’t get too feisty. This is the standout of the first week, no question.

Thursday the 27th is a letdown. The swell drops to 4 ft in the morning and the wind swings to a light westerly at 6 mph, giving clean conditions, but the energy is fading (422). Afternoon gets messy with a cross-shore swing.

From Friday the 28th all the way through to the end of the first week and into the start of September, we hit a flat spell. We’re talking tiny swell averaging just 1 ft to 2 ft, with combined energy values dropping below 100 most days – that’s weak, weak stuff. The wind is often clean or offshore, but with no significant swell to ride, it’s just a flat, glassy lake. This gap in decent surf runs for about 8 to 9 days.

Saturday, 6th September, things start to look promising again. The morning shows a solid 4 ft swell from the south with a long 11-second period, and the combined energy is a healthy 451. The wind is dead calm, with a slight westerly breeze making it cross-off and clean. This is your second real standout window – the points will have some nice lines, and it should be well-shaped for a longboard or a funboard.

Monday, 7th September, continues the trend with a 4 ft swell from the south-southeast in the morning. Light north-easterly wind, clean glassy faces, and decent energy (342). Again, good for the points and reefs with that longer period.

Late on Wednesday, 9th September, the swell absolutely pumps up to 15 ft from the southeast – that’s a monster. Combined energy hits a massive 6805. The wind is manageable cross-off from the west-southwest, but that size and period (12 seconds) is too big for this break, even if the conditions are favorable. This is strictly for big-wave chargers only, and only if you know the break inside out. It’s not recommended for a normal surfer.

So, to sum it up: Wednesday 26th August morning is the main event for experienced crew, with that 6 ft SE groundswell. Saturday 6th and Monday 7th September mornings offer smaller, clean, fun waves for everyone else. The rest is a flat, quiet affair.

Stay stoked, and keep your eyes on the horizon.

Rusty.

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