Clifton Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s on the cards for Clifton Beach.

Right now, the surf is a bit of a mixed bag. We’re looking at a few days of small, ordinary waves before things start to get interesting. The best window is definitely the end of the first week, with a real standout on Saturday the 1st of August.

Let’s break it down. The first session on offer is Saturday afternoon, the 25th of July. It’s bumpy with a cross-on breeze and a 4ft swell from the southwest. The energy is moderate (897), but the wind is just messing it up. It’s a pass.

Sunday and Monday are pretty flat, with waves under 3ft and not much behind them. The wind is better on Monday afternoon with a light offshore from the NNW, and the swell picks up to 3ft from the SSW with a very long period of 15 seconds (energy of 310). That’s a groundswell. It’s clean, but it’s small. For a beach break, a long period like that can make the waves stand up a bit too straight, but for a bite to eat, it might offer a few fun ones.

Tuesday the 28th sees a real improvement. The morning is clean with a moderate offshore, but the standout is the afternoon. The wind drops to glassy conditions from the SSE, and we’ve got a 3ft SSW swell with a 15-second period. The energy is moderate (308). It’s going to be glassy and clean. That’s a great session for a smaller board.

Then Wednesday the 29th gets blown out. A strong onshore gale kicks up messy 6ft surf. Not good.

Thursday and Friday the 30th and 31st are a mix of small and ordinary again, but Friday morning has a pulse. A 4ft SW swell with a 12-second period and a light cross-offshore breeze. The energy is strong (603). That’s a solid, clean wave for the morning session.

Now, here’s the real prize. Saturday the 1st of August. In the morning, it’s a bit small, but the afternoon is where it’s at. The wind swings to a light cross-off from the WNW, and we get a 4ft SSW swell with a very long period of 18 seconds. The energy is strong (939). That’s a proper groundswell. For a beach break, this long period can make the waves a bit walled, but with that light wind, it’s going to be clean and have some punch. This is the standout of the whole outlook.

Sunday the 2nd and Monday the 3rd offer clean, offshore conditions with consistent 3ft to 4ft S/SW swells. The wind is moderate offshore, and the energy is solid (345-425). It’s not as big as the 1st, but it’s reliable and clean.

After that, the forecast gets messy. Tuesday the 4th and Wednesday the 5th are a write-off with strong onshore winds and rain. The swell is there but it’s a washing machine.

Thursday the 6th and Friday the 7th see a return to small, clean conditions with light offshore winds, but the swell is tiny (1ft-3ft). The energy is very low (77-223). Not worth the paddle.

The end of the run into the 8th and 9th of August is flat and weak, with a short period spike on the 9th that’s just not going to deliver.

So, to wrap it up: the best bet is definitely Saturday the 1st of August afternoon. Glassy, clean, and a solid groundswell. Tuesday the 28th afternoon is a good runner-up for a glassy session. The rest of the time is either small, windy, or just ordinary. Keep an eye on Monday the 27th afternoon and Friday the 31st morning for a sneaky session too.

Rusty.

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