Clifton Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here to break down the waves at Clifton Beach.

We’re looking at a patchy 16-day window, but there are a couple of sessions that’ll make you paddle hard. The water’s sitting at about 51°, which is a bit cooler than normal for this time of year, so don’t forget the extra neoprene.

The first real pulse comes in on Thursday afternoon, the 13th. A long period, 16-second SSW groundswell is pushing in at about 6 ft with a serious 1656 units of energy behind it. The wind is a cross-off from the NW at 15 km/h, keeping the surface clean. That’s a solid, powerful swell, and at 6 ft it might be a bit much for the learners. This break is fairly consistent and fairly exposed to the south, so it’ll soak up that energy.

Friday the 14th starts with 5 ft waves from the SSW, but that WNW wind picks up to 25 km/h, making it a cross-off. The afternoon turns real ugly with a cross-onshore blow from the SSW at 25 km/h. Leave that one for the kite guys.

Now, here’s the best of the first week. Saturday morning, the 15th. The swell drops a touch to 5 ft from the south, but the wind goes offshore from the NNW at a light 10 km/h. That’s a clean, glassy morning with a long 16-second period. The energy is still moderate at 1107. This is your prime window for a smooth, clean session.

By Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, the swell fades fast. Sunday morning is down to about 3 ft with a 14-second period and light offshore winds from the NNW at 5 km/h. It’s clean, but small. Sunday afternoon, the onshore wind ruins it, and we hit a dry spell.

From Monday the 17th all the way through to Saturday the 23rd, it’s mostly flat and weak. Swell stays below 2 ft with periods ranging from 14 to 18 seconds. There are a few clean mornings with light offshore winds, but the wave energy is weak, barely scratching the triple digits. This is a long, quiet stretch.

We get a nice pulse on Tuesday the 25th. The energy jumps back up with a 3 to 4 ft SSW swell, and a very long 18 to 19-second period. Winds are light cross-off from the WNW and NW, keeping things tidy.

But the big standout is Wednesday the 26th of August. A nice SW swell hits 5 ft in the morning, building to 6 ft by the afternoon with a 16-second period. The energy is strong, over 1300. The wind is offshore from the north at 25 km/h in the morning, then a gentle cross-off from the WNW in the afternoon. This is excellent, powerful surf. At 6 ft with a long period, this one is for the experienced crew looking for a proper session.

The wind gets nasty again Thursday the 27th and Friday the 28th, with fresh cross-off and cross-shore winds over 35 km/h blowing through a shrinking swell. Leave it to the windsurfers.

So, to sum it up: Saturday the 15th for clean, mid-range waves, and Wednesday the 26th for the real power and size. The rest is mostly small or blown out.

Rusty.

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