Cintsa West Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's coming up for Cintsa West. It's a point break that can be inconsistent, but when it fires, it's a beauty. The first solid swell is on the way.

We've got a bit of a wait, but Saturday the 29th of August is the kick-off. The morning session is the standout early on. The swell is a solid 10 ft from the ENE, with a combined swell energy of 2269—that's strong, powerful stuff. It's got a 10-second period, so it's got some grunt, but it's not the longest period, so it should still peel nicely down the point. The wind is a light 9 mph from the north, crossing offshore, which will keep the waves clean. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers, as anything over 8 ft is for experts only. The water temp is 66°, which is a touch cooler than average for this time of year (anomaly of -1°), so maybe a thicker steamer is the go. This is the pick of the early window.

The weekend slackens off quickly. Sunday the 30th sees the swell drop to 3 ft with onshore cross-winds from the SW at 12 mph, making for poor, choppy conditions. Monday and Tuesday are similar—small, weak swells around 3 ft to 3 ft, with onshore or cross-onshore wind. Not worth paddling out, honestly. This quiet stretch lingers until Wednesday the 2nd of September.

Wednesday the 2nd of September shows a pulse of longer-period swell (14 seconds) from the SSW, but the wave heights are only 5 ft to 5 ft. The combined energy is moderate (799), and it's cross-onshore with a gentle breeze, so the quality is marginal. Still, that longer period will offer better shape, especially at a point break like this.

Now, Thursday the 3rd of September morning is something to circle. We get glassy conditions with no wind at all and a fun 7 ft swell from the SSE. The period is short at 7 seconds, so it's more of a windswell, but glassy conditions at Cintsa West with chest-to-head-high waves should be very good.

Looking further out, the real standout is way off in the second week. Thursday the 10th of September is massive. The morning sees a 13 ft swell from the East with a combined energy of 3480—that's very strong. The period is 10 seconds, and the wind is a light 6 mph from the SSW, crossing nicely. This is absolute expert territory; anything over 8 ft is for big-wave chargers only. The afternoon holds similar size but picks up a cross-onshore that will chop it up. This is the one to wait for, but remember it's a long-range forecast, so keep an eye on it as we get closer. There will be a massive, messy NE wind on the 11th of September at 22-25 mph, so you’ll want to be out of the water that day.

The very end of the run, on Sunday the 13th of September, offers another glassy morning session with a glassy morning and 5 ft waves from the East, which will be a very clean and pleasant surf.

So, to sum it up: the absolute best bet is the morning of Saturday the 29th of August for the expert crew, and the highly promising, but less certain, big swell on the morning of Thursday the 10th of September.

Rusty.

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