Clifton Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, I'm Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on offer for Clifton Beach over the next couple of weeks.

The water temperature here is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual to report.

The next few days are a bit of a write-off. Wednesday through to Saturday morning we've got a lot of onshore and cross-shore winds, sloppy conditions, and small, weak swell. The combined wave energy is weak, mostly under 400 (97-380 range). It's not worth paddling out for.

Then things start to look up. On Saturday, the 29th, the afternoon session cleans up with a moderate breeze and clean 3 ft swell from the SSW. The energy picks up a bit (361), but it's nothing to write home about.

The real standout is Sunday, the 30th of August. Head out early. Light offshore winds from the NNW, clean as a whistle, and a solid 7 ft groundswell rolling in from the south with a very long 18-second period. The combined energy is a massive 2426, so there's plenty of grunt. This is excellent, powerful surf for experienced surfers. The long period will make it wall up nicely at Clifton Beach, but sets will be a bit more spaced out, making the paddle out a little easier. The afternoon goes a bit cross-on, so get on it in the morning.

Monday, the 31st, is also a good one. A gentle offshore in the morning with 4 ft SSW swell, moderate energy (666), and clean conditions. Then the afternoon goes glassy, with a 4 ft SSW swell packing a 17-second period, and the energy is solid (745). Very good surf, clean and fun.

The first week of September is a bit of a mixed bag. Tuesday the 1st and Wednesday the 2nd are small and not great. Thursday and Friday have some size but are blown out by fresh onshore winds.

Then there's another standout on Saturday, the 5th of September. The morning session has a massive 10 ft SSW groundswell with a gentle offshore. That's way too big for this break, and the file says it's too big. The afternoon glass-off, however, brings a 5 ft S swell with a 16-second period, huge energy (1347), and perfect glassy conditions. That's excellent for experienced surfers, but you'll need to be on your game.

The next few days after that are mainly onshore and messy, with a couple of marginal windows. Tuesday, the 8th of September, has a clean 5 ft SSW swell in the morning, but the afternoon is a massive 12 ft SW swell, too big for Clifton Beach. Wednesday the 9th has some clean afternoon conditions with a 5 ft S swell and a very long 19-second period, worth a look for experienced crew on a longboard or a point break setup.

So, the best of the lot is Sunday morning, the 30th of August. Get out there early for clean, powerful 7 ft south swell with a very long period. The other serious shout is the glassy afternoon on Saturday, the 5th of September.

Rusty.

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