Cintsa West Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag coming up for Cintsa West over the next couple of weeks. The pattern starts slow and a bit messy, but there are a few windows where it’ll clean right up and be worth a paddle. Let’s get into it.

Right now, we’re looking at Sunday the 30th of August with some light rain and a moderate cross-shore breeze. Swell is a tiny 3 ft from the ENE with a long 10-second period, but the wave energy is weak at 340, and it’s just not happening—poor conditions. The afternoon isn’t much better, with a 3.6 ft SSW swell and a cross-shore breeze, still marginal at best.

Monday the 31st is where things start to look up. Morning comes in glassy—absolutely dead calm—with a 3.3 ft easterly swell at 10 seconds and moderate energy of 291. That’s a clean, fun-sized wave for intermediates, and it’s got that classic point break shape. Water temp is sitting at 65.1°, which is a touch colder than normal for this time of year, so maybe a spring suit with booties if you’re sensitive. Come arvo, the wind swings east and gets a little cross-onshore, dropping quality back to marginal.

Tuesday the 1st of September is a bit disappointing. Morning has a tiny 1.6 ft SSW swell with a long 13-second period and weak energy (198), but the wind is cross-onshore and the surf is poor. Afternoon is a bit bigger at 3 ft but still messy with a cross-onshore breeze and 436 moderate energy—still poor.

Wednesday the 2nd sees a decent bump in size. Morning delivers a 5.6 ft SSW swell with a 14-second period and strong energy of 1209. That’s a solid groundswell, but the wind is cross-onshore from the ESE, so it’s going to be choppy and tricky to enjoy. Afternoon stays similar but drops slightly to 5.2 ft. Both sessions are marginal.

Thursday the 3rd of September is a standout. Morning offers clean surf with light cross-offshore winds from the WSW, a 3.6 ft easterly swell at 7 seconds, and moderate energy of 380. That’s a crisp, rideable wave for an intermediate, and the light wind will make it feel like you’ve got the ocean to yourself. Afternoon falls apart with a fresh cross-shore breeze and a 6.2 ft SSW swell—poor conditions.

Friday the 4th is for experts only, and even then, it’s rough. Morning sees a massive 18 ft south swell with a 12-second period and extreme energy of 8815, but onshore winds from the SE at 22 mph make it a washing machine. Afternoon is still 16.4 ft with cross-onshore winds. Not for paddling—kite surfers might fancy it.

Saturday the 5th drops down to a 9.8 ft SE swell in the morning, but cross-onshore winds and choppy conditions keep it poor. Afternoon sees an 8.2 ft SE swell at 9 seconds, lighter wind, but still marginal.

Sunday the 6th of September brings an 8.2 ft S swell with a very long 17-second period and very strong energy of 3809. That’s a proper groundswell, but cross-onshore winds from the east and a choppy surface make it only marginal. The long period will push the wave shape, but at a point break like this, it could be okay if the wind lays down.

Monday the 7th and Tuesday the 8th drop back to smaller, onshore-affected swell around 3.6 ft to 5.2 ft—poor to marginal. Not worth the drive.

Wednesday the 9th of September brings a bump again: 7.2 ft easterly swell in the morning, rising to 9.8 ft in the afternoon, both cross-onshore and choppy. Still marginal.

Thursday the 10th is another bright spot. Morning has a 9.8 ft ENE swell with light easterly winds and only small wind ripples—marginal but cleaner than the previous days, with strong energy of 2405. The wind is light cross-onshore, so it’s not perfect, but it’s the best of a big week. Afternoon drops to 5.2 ft but goes cross-shore.

From Friday the 11th onward, it’s a poor run. The swell stays small (3.3 ft to 4.6 ft) with moderate to fresh onshore and cross-shore winds, and the energy stays weak to moderate. A couple of days in the second week even see 6.9 ft and 9.8 ft swell, but the wind is fresh and lumpy—only marginal at best, and mostly poor. The period around the 14th of September shows some long-period south swell (14 seconds) but with strong winds and cross-chop, it’s not worth suiting up for.

If you’re picking the one true standout, it’s Monday the 31st of August

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