Cliffs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's size up what’s happening on our local break.

To be straight with you, this forecast is a real bummer. We're looking at a flat and featureless spell for nearly the whole two weeks, with barely any size to speak of. For the first week, wave heights are mostly around 2ft or less with choppy cross-offshore winds. The combined wave energy for most of this period is pathetic, barely cracking 300 (weak energy). A few days around the 12th and 13th of August show a slight increase in energy into the 700s (moderate energy), but the wave height only makes it to about 4ft and the wind is still too fresh for it to shape up. The one real pulse of swell comes late in the run, but the conditions turn nasty.

The One to Watch (if you're a masochist)

The only thing that resembles a swell is on the 16th of August. Sunday morning is packing a 6ft swell from the SSE, with the combined energy hitting 1293 (strong to very strong energy). That's plenty of grunt. The trouble is the wind. Early on the 16th, it's a screaming offshore from the NNW at 34 mph. That will stand the waves up, but it’ll be a jet-wash of spray and a nightmare to paddle into. By the afternoon, the wind switches to the south and goes onshore at 28 mph, tearing the face off it. This day is strictly for the hardcore crew. With the beach and reef setup, the massive wind and swell will make it look more like a kite-foiling session than a surf.

The Dry Spell

You’re looking at a big stretch of nothing from today all the way to the 16th of August. There are several days of absolutely zero score – clean conditions, but no wave to ride. Even the sessions around the 12th and 13th that have a bit more energy are too marginal to recommend. It’s a proper desert.

For the break itself, Cliffs (a beach and reef combo) is the only spot in the frame. Water temps are a balmy 81°, which is pretty normal for this time of year. The charts show the sweet spot for swell direction is from the S, and the big pulse on the 16th is from the SSE, so the angle is right. It’s just that damn wind that spoils the party.

Things go dead quiet again right after that pulse. A frustrating period for the lineup.

Hang in there,
Rusty

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