Chapadmalal Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, looking at the surf ahead for our patch. To be honest, straight up, the next 16 days are looking pretty ordinary. There’s no real standout swell on the cards, and a lot of the time the wind is going to mess things up. We have a long gap from now until Sunday the 13th of September where conditions are not worth paddling out for. After that, there are a few brief windows of cleaner but small surf.

Let’s start with the only break we’ve got to work with: Chapadmalal. It’s a point break with a pretty consistent track record, but for the first week, it’s mostly a write-off. The water temp is sitting at 50°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least it’s not freezing.

This Tuesday the 8th of September, the swell is tiny, only 2ft from the south with a short 8-second period, and the wind is cross-off. The combined swell energy is weak (95), so it’s just not worth it. Wednesday the 9th sees a little pulse of 2ft swell from the south, but with a very long 15-second period. That’s a proper groundswell, but at this size it’s barely breaking. Winds are offshore in the morning, so while it’s clean, it’s just too small to get excited about. Combined energy is moderate (164).

The weekend is a no-go. Friday the 11th has onshore wind from the SSE at 16 mph, and by Saturday the 12th, the swell jumps to 7ft from the SSE. That sounds big, but with onshores blowing 22 mph and a short 8-second period, it’s a washing machine. Combined energy is strong (571), but it’s blown out and messy – probably more interesting for kite surfers than proper surfing.

Now, Sunday the 13th of September is the best on offer in the whole run. We get a morning session with 4ft swell from the SSE, a 9-second period, and light WNW winds at 9 mph that are cross-off. The combined energy is moderate (278) and conditions are clean. It’s not pumping, but it’s surfable and the point should offer some lines. Crowds can show up here sometimes, so you might have a few out, but it’s going to be the pick of a pretty quiet period.

From Monday the 14th onwards, it drops back to tiny 2-2ft swell with offshore winds, but the energy is too weak (under 113) to be worthwhile. There’s a slight glimmer on Thursday the 17th with 4ft from the SSE and a 10-second period, with cross-off NW winds, but the combined energy (337) is moderate and it’s only rated as marginal. After that, we’re back to tiny waves below 2ft and mixed wind directions right through to the end of the forecast.

Overall, if you’re desperate, aim for Sunday morning the 13th at Chapadmalal. It’s a small, clean, and workable window, but don’t expect magic. The rest is a write-off.

Rusty.

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