Clifton Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey mate, Rusty here. I’ve been through the numbers for the next couple weeks and I’ll level with you: it’s a pretty lean run. There’s a patchy start and then a whole lot of nothing with a few rough pulses towards the end. The first real surfable wave doesn’t show until Sunday morning, 16th August, and it’s a gentle one.

The one session that stands head and shoulders above the rest is Monday morning, 17th August. You’re looking at a 2ft SSW groundswell with a very long 18-second period. That’s the kind of energy that lines up beautifully at points and reefs, though at a beachbreak it can feel a bit straight. At Clifton Beach, with a clean offshore north wind of just 3 mph, it’ll be as clean as a whistle – glassy, with that long period letting you just drift out between sets. The combined energy is a solid moderate 318. Crowds are often here, so get up early, but for consistency and quality, this is your session. Water temp is dead average for the season.

Tuesday morning, 18th August drops to 2ft from the SSW, still with a nice 17-second period. The wind is a stiffer north offshore at 12 mph, so it’s clean, but the energy is weak at 166 – it’ll be a bit of a struggle for anything with real push. Surfable but ordinary.

Then we hit the doldrums. From Wednesday 19th through Saturday 22nd morning, the swell is tiny – under 2ft – and combined energy stays below 250. Winds are cleanish but there’s just no ocean in it.

Saturday afternoon, 22nd August brings some size: 6ft of SSW swell with a moderate energy of 1357, but the period drops to 14 seconds and a 15 mph west cross-shore wind will chop it up. “Marginal” is the word – it’s the biggest surf on offer but not pretty. Too much for beginners.

Sunday 23rd is messy, and then Monday 24th morning gives you a last grab at something: 5ft of SSW swell (15 seconds, energy 1038) with a light 6 mph west cross-shore – still only “marginal” but your best bet if you missed the Monday stand-out. After that, Tuesday 25th pumps up to 7ft from the south with an 18 mph onshore wind and rain – expert only, and the beach setup would be better for a kiteboard. The rest of the 16 days fades into small, onshore slop.

So, the one to circle is Monday morning, 17th August – small but clean, with that long-period groundswell making every wave count. The gaps around it are several days long, and the later pulses are wind-screwed. But hey, the tide always turns.

Rusty.

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