Cintsa West Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up on the Wild Coast.

Honestly, the first week is a bit of a slog, with no real surf on offer until the second week starts to show some promise. The pattern is a persistent onshore ENE wind and a messy sea state. The water is running at 59°F, which is 9°F colder than normal for this time of year – that’s very unusual, so you’ll want a thick steamer and maybe some booties. The combined swell energy is weak to moderate at best (265 to 1701) for most of the first week, and the wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, leaving things choppy and poor. There’s a gap of several days there where I wouldn’t bother paddling out.

By Monday 14th September, things start to look a little more interesting. The swell builds to 12 ft from the east, but it’s still cross-shore at Cintsa West (Wild Coast), so it’s messy. The combined energy jumps to 3852, which is strong, but with that wind, it’s a slog. For the advanced crew, there’s size, but it’s not clean.

The best on offer is shaping up for Friday 18th September into the weekend. On Friday afternoon, we get a clean, cross-off wind from the WSW at 19 mph, with a 6 ft southeast swell (9-second period) – that’s a proper long period groundswell. The combined energy sits at 657, so moderate. Cintsa West is a point break that loves a solid southeast groundswell, and with that offshore breeze, it’ll be smooth and lined up. It’s inconsistent though, so you’ll need patience, and crowds are possible. This is the standout: clean, well-shaped waves for the intermediate crew.

Saturday 19th September morning keeps a little hope with a 5 ft southeast swell and light cross-shore wind, but it’s still marginal. After that, the swell drops off into long-period but tiny stuff.

Looking further out, Monday 21st September brings another push of 7 ft east swell, but it’s short-period and cross-shore again. Then Tuesday 22nd through Wednesday 23rd sees a strong east swell hitting 10 ft with a short period (8 seconds) and fresh cross-shore winds – that’s big, short-period windswell, messy, and really only for experts if you’re keen on a beating. The combined energy is 1740 to 2015 – strong.

Friday 25th September is another glimmer: a 8 ft east swell with a clean cross-off wind from the WSW at 19 mph. That’s another day for the point – clean surf, but again, inconsistent and big, so not for beginners. The combined energy is 2023, strong.

Overall, the two real standouts are the afternoon of Friday 18th and the morning of Friday 25th – both with clean, offshore conditions, a decent southeast or east swell, and that point break handling it best. Everything else is either choppy, too windy, or too messy. If you’re a kite surfer, the big, windy days like Wednesday 23rd with 25 mph cross-shore winds and 8 ft swell might be your jam – that’s a beach-and-point setup that’ll be more fun on a kite than a paddle board.

Rusty.

Read more