Clifton Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what’s coming up for Clifton Beach over the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a mixed bag ahead, so let’s get straight into it.

We’ve got a real slow start this week. The early days are pretty flat and small, with hardly any energy in the water to get excited about. The first glimmer of something decent pops up on Monday the 17th morning – it’s small at 2ft from the SSW, but it’s glassy with no wind and that long period of 18 seconds will bring some clean lines. The combined energy is modest at 318, but for a Monday morning paddle, it’s about as peaceful as it gets. Water temp is sitting at 52°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Through the middle of the week, things drop right off. Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th have tiny, weak waves around 1ft to 2ft – not worth getting wet for, unless you just want to sit on your board and watch the clouds. The offshore winds on those days keep it looking clean, but without any push, it’s a flat spell.

The standout window is the weekend. Sunday the 23rd morning is the one to circle on the calendar. We get a solid 5ft swell from the south with a good 17-second period, and the energy jumps right up to 1326 – that’s some proper grunt. The wind is offshore from the NNW and moderate, so the faces will be clean and lined up. This is the best of the entire forecast: a legit, powerful groundswell with good wind, and the sets will have some real push. For experienced surfers, it’ll be a joy; for beginners, 5ft might be a little too much, so choose your moment.

Crowds at Clifton Beach are often around, so expect company on that Sunday morning if you head out. The swell direction from the south is decent for this fairly exposed beach, and that long period will make for some nice lines off the sandbanks, though at a beach break it might close out a bit on the steep ones.

After that, Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th get messy with strong southwesterly winds and lumpy conditions. The swell stays in the 2ft to 5ft range but the quality drops hard. That stretch is a write-off for decent surf.

We get another little window on Thursday the 27th into Friday the 28th. Thursday morning sees a clean 2ft from the south with a long 18-second period and light cross-off wind – it’s small but glassy, and the energy is a modest 300. Then Friday the 28th morning goes back to glassy conditions, 3ft from the SSW, period of 17 seconds, energy of 385. That’s a nice, gentle morning surf for a longboard or a funboard.

The tail end of the forecast on August 30th and 31st has more small, clean mornings in the 2ft to 3ft range, but nothing with the punch of that Sunday the 23rd. So, to wrap it up: the whole first week is flat, the second week has one absolute standout on Sunday the 23rd morning – that’s your best bet by a long shot. After that, it fades back into small, clean but unremarkable conditions. Stay patient, and if you can, make that Sunday session happen.

Rusty.

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