Clifton Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, with a look at what’s shaping up for Clifton Beach over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, you’re gonna see a big swell roll in this Sunday, August 30th. Morning is looking at a solid 10ft southwest swell with 13-second period straight out of the southwest. That is a powerful swell, with combined energy hitting 3829, but here's the thing – it's predicted to be too big for this break. The cross-shore wind will keep it bumpy, so for a regular paddler, this might be a bit of a beast. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing to write home about.

Honestly, after that initial pulse, things go a bit quiet for a while. From Monday the 31st through the first week of September, the waves either drop right off or the wind goes to hell. There are a couple of glimpses of something decent: on the morning of Tuesday, September 1st, a clean offshore NNW wind at 15 mph hits a tiny 2ft south-southwest swell (320 energy), but that’s knee high at best. Then on the morning of Friday, September 4th, we get a little bump of hope. A 5ft south-southwest swell with a very long 17-second period rolls in (1223 energy), and the wind drops to next to nothing from the NNW. That’s a clean, glassy morning, and for a spot that’s fairly consistent, that little window could offer a few nice, lined-up waves, especially if you’ve got a log. The long period will mean longer waits between sets, though, and it might wall up a bit on the sandbanks.

The rest of that week and into the next gets messy or blown out. The wind really cranks up from the west, and on many days it's just too strong for a pleasant paddle.

Looking way out to the second week, we see another big pulse on Wednesday, September 9th. Morning shows a 10ft southwest swell with a 15-second period. The energy is a massive 6240 – that's serious power. The wind is offshore-ish from the WNW at 15 mph, making things look clean on the surface. But again, for Clifton Beach, 10ft is likely well overhead and a handful. This is for experienced surfers only, and even then, it’s a long-range call so things could change.

After that, the end of the run from the 10th to the 14th is mostly small and average. A few mornings like the 12th (Saturday) and 13th (Sunday) will have some clean-looking 2ft to 3ft south swells with light offshore winds, but it’s small scale, ankle-to-knee high stuff.

Best bet? For a clean, manageable session, aim for the morning of Friday, September 4th. For the big wave crew, keep an eye on Wednesday morning, September 9th.

Rusty.

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