Clifton Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s get straight to it. The next couple of weeks have a bit of everything – a slab of proper swell early, but with howling wind that’ll ruin it, then a long, dull grind through small clean waves, and finally a big, powerful pulse right at the end that’s the real deal. Keep your expectations real and your quiver ready.

The main spot is Clifton Beach (Clifton-Beach). It starts the weekend with a hefty 7ft SW groundswell, but a near gale cross-onshore wind will have it totally blown out. Don't even bother. However, Sunday afternoon is a different story. The swell settles to a clean 4ft from the SSW with a very long 16-second period, and a light cross-off breeze makes it excellent for experienced surfers. This is a proper, meaty wave, not one for the learners. Water temps are about average for this time of year, so a normal springsuit will do.

That quality fades quickly. As we get into the week, the swell drops right out. There are a few clean, glassy mornings and gentle offshores, but the energy is weak – we’re talking combined readings down around 155 to 289 for days on end. It’s surfable, but pretty ordinary. This is the flat spell, and it drags on for a few days. We’ll see plenty of knee-high dribble, but it’s mostly a paddle and a chat.

One blip in this quiet period is the morning of Friday, the 28th of August. The period jumps to 18 seconds, bringing in a clean 3ft SSW groundswell. It’s small, but offshore wind and clean lines make it a fun one for a log. The consistency is only “fairly consistent,” but this is one of the few clean, worthwhile sessions in this stretch.

After a tiny, glassy Saturday morning, the forecast flips completely. Sunday, the 30th of August, is the one. The sky is clear, the wind goes dead glassy, and the swell jumps up to a solid 7ft from the south with an incredibly long 18-second period. The combined energy reading is a massive 2541 – that’s strong, powerful, proper groundswell. Combined with those conditions, this is going to be excellent for experienced surfers only. This is the standout of the whole window, no contest. And it lands on a Sunday, so you can make a day of it. Anything over 8ft is experts-only territory, and 7ft is still a serious step up. A point break like this will handle it way better than a beach, so keep that in mind.

After that spike, it settles down again. The start of September is poor – another near gale hits on Tuesday the 1st, messing everything up. The rest of the week is average, with small waves and changing winds. There’s a clean window on Thursday afternoon the 3rd, with a nice 3ft SSW and a 17-second period under a cross-off breeze. Another good longboard session if you’re keen.

Then there’s a small pulse on Friday the 4th, but the wind turns onshore and chops it up. The run ends with a clean but small Sunday morning on the 6th, with a moderate offshore and about 3ft of swell. Not the epic finish we’d hope for, but the longer-range look is promising. The energy is there, just waiting for a better wind alignment. For now, the main event is unmistakably that Sunday the 30th window.

That’s the story. It’s a waiting game for the big one. Stay patient, keep the wax on, and be ready to move when everything lines up.

Rusty.

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