Surf Forecasts:
Clifton Beach surf forecast from 29 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Saturday 29 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period, SW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Saturday 5 Sep, 4PM (local time) - 11ft (3.5m), 16s period, SW swell with 6,551 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Saturday 29 Aug, 10PM (local time) - 10ft (3.0m), 13s period with SW swell.
Best Forecast Surf Conditions for Clifton Beach this week:
The surf forecast for Clifton Beach over the next 16 days: The first swell (rated 1 star or higher) is forecast to arrive on Saturday (Aug 29) at 10PM. The primary swell is predicted to be 3.0m and 13s period with a secondary swell of 1.3m and 16s. The wind is predicted to be cross-offshore as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Clifton Beach in the next 16 days are 3.5m 16s and forecast to arrive on Saturday (Sep 05) at 4PM. Winds are predicted to be cross-shore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 13s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 29) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
| Best Surf | 10PM (Sat 29th Aug) | 10ft (3.0m) 13s |
| Most Powerful | 4PM (Sat 5th Sep) | 11ft (3.5m) 16s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Clifton Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
G’day, Rusty here. Looks like a bit of a mixed bag coming our way over the next couple of weeks. We’ve got some solid swell pulses but the wind’s gonna be a real character, messing up a lot of the potential. The water temp at Clifton Beach is sitting at 52°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
We kick things off Saturday the 29th with a bit of a soaker. The morning shows a clean 3.3 ft swell from the SSW, period 14 seconds, with a light cross-shore breeze. The energy’s moderate at 384. It’s rideable but nothing to write home about. Saturday afternoon the wind picks up to 16 mph from the west, making it choppy and messy, so I’d give that a miss.
Sunday the 30th sees a jump in size – 8.2 ft from the SW. That’s getting into the too-big-for-beginners territory. While the morning has a light cross-breeze, the period drops to 13 seconds by the arvo and the combined energy is strong at 3,251 and 2,817. It’ll be a lumpy, powerful mess. This is serious stuff, really only for experienced surfers with a bit of grunt, and even then the wind's not helping.
Monday the 31st improves a touch. The morning session has a clean 3.9 ft SSW groundswell (14-second period) with a light cross-offshore breeze. Combined energy is moderate at 635. It’s clean but a bit small. The afternoon sees a 7.9 ft SW swell roll in with an onshore wind, which makes it a messy, blown-out wall. Not ideal.
Tuesday the 1st of September dawns with cleaner vibes. We’ve got offshore wind from the NNW at 12 mph and a small but clean 2.6 ft SSW swell (16-second period, moderate energy at 311). It’s a little on the small side but super clean, a good session for the log or a fish. The afternoon drops off to 2.0 ft, so not much there.
Into Wednesday the 2nd and Thursday the 3rd, we’re looking at small, clean waves with a cross-offshore breeze, but the size hovers around 2.6 ft to 3.6 ft. The energy stays moderate (287 to 737) but the period is long (15-17 seconds), which makes for some nice, lined-up runners on a point or reef. The wind gets ugly Thursday morning with a fresh cross-shore at 19 mph, so that’s a write-off.
Friday the 4th offers a chance. The morning is clean, 4.3 ft from the SSW (16-second period, moderate energy at 813). The afternoon sees offshore wind with a 3.3 ft swell – clean and tidy.
Now here’s the standout. Saturday the 5th is a beast, but for the wrong reasons. The morning’s a washout with 22 mph wind. The afternoon sees a massive 11.5 ft SW swell with periods of 16 seconds and combined energy through the roof at 8,355. That is a serious, powerful groundswell. But the wind is howling at 22 mph from the WSW, creating a lumpy, dangerous mess. This is not for paddling. This setup is looking far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing – only absolute experts should even think about it, and even then, the conditions are poor.
The following week is quieter. Sunday the 6th has a small, clean 3.0 ft SSW swell (13 seconds, moderate energy at 295). The middle of the week (7th-9th) gets messy with strong, onshore winds and building swell from the southwest, with energy ranging from 1,088 to 2,406. It’s choppy, lumpy, and not surf-friendly. The wind is too strong for any decent quality.
Then we get a proper corker. On Thursday the 10th of September, the stars align. The morning has a clean 4.3 ft SSW groundswell (16-second period) with gentle offshore wind from the north. Combined energy is moderate at 921. The afternoon is the absolute best of the whole run. We’ve got a 6.6 ft SW swell (16-second period) with a light cross-offshore breeze. The combined energy is strong at 2,073, and the conditions are clean. This is a solid, powerful groundswell – too big for beginners, but a real treat for experienced surfers. The long period (16 seconds) will make it hollow and powerful, best suited for a point or reef break where it will hold its shape.
The last couple of days (11th-13th) fizzle out. Friday the 11th is a write-off with near gale-force wind, and the weekend sees small, clean waves again but nothing with any punch. Saturday the 13th has a 3.0 ft SSW groundswell (18-second period) with clean offshore wind in the morning – a very long period that will make for some long waits between sets.
The hands-down best session is Thursday arvo (10th September) at Clifton Beach. The 6.6 ft SW groundswell with light, clean wind is the pick. For
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 15°C on Sat morning, min 8°C on Mon night). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryLight rain (total 3mm), mostly falling on Tue night. Very mild (max 18°C on Tue morning, min 10°C on Tue night). Mainly fresh winds. | ||||||||||||||||||||
Saturday 29 | Sunday 30 | Monday 31 | Tuesday 1 | Wednesday 2 | Thursday 3 | Friday 4 | |||||||||||||||
AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | AM | PM | Night | |
Swell Height Map | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wave Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 17 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
384 | 501 | 2573 | 2499 | 2254 | 534 | 504 | 2103 | 686 | 280 | 167 | 165 | 273 | 534 | 498 | 491 | 697 | 879 | 813 | 540 | 344 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | cross | cross | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | on | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross | cross-off | cross-off | off | cross-off |
High Tide | 7:10PM0.61m | 8:29AM0.51m | 8:11PM0.57m | 9:07AM0.55m | 9:22PM0.52m | 9:46AM0.59m | 10:41PM0.48m | 10:30AM0.63m | 00:06AM0.45m | 11:18AM0.67m | 1:31AM0.44m | 12:10PM0.70m | 2:48AM0.43m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 12:53PM0.31m | 2:07AM0.17m | 2:05PM0.28m | 2:43AM0.21m | 3:19PM0.25m | 3:21AM0.25m | 4:32PM0.20m | 4:01AM0.29m | 5:43PM0.15m | 4:44AM0.33m | 6:50PM0.10m | 5:32AM0.36m | 7:55PM0.06m | ||||||||
6:43 | — | — | 6:41 | — | — | 6:39 | — | — | 6:37 | — | — | 6:35 | — | — | 6:33 | — | — | 6:31 | — | — | |
— | 5:38 | — | — | 5:39 | — | — | 5:40 | — | — | 5:43 | — | — | 5:44 | — | — | 5:45 | — | — | 5:45 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 6 |
Temp °C | 15 | 14 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 11 | 14 | 15 | 10 | 18 | 17 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 15 | 14 | 14 |
Feels °C | 11 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 9 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 14 | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 16 | SSW 17 | SSW 15 | SSW 15 | SSW 14 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 |
384 | 501 | 730 | 752 | 563 | 534 | 504 | 1124 | 686 | 280 | 167 | 165 | 273 | 534 | 498 | 491 | 697 | 879 | 813 | 540 | 344 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | ESE 10 | ESE 10 | E 9 | — | E 9 | E 9 | SSW 20 | SSW 18 | — | S 10 | S 9 | S 9 | SSE 12 | SSE 12 | SE 12 | — | — | — | — | — | NE 8 |
9 | 9 | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | 127 | 333 | — | 31 | 15 | 6 | 14 | 13 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | 10 | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | NE 9 | NE 9 | — | — | — | NE 9 | E 9 | — | — | — | S 18 | E 11 | SSE 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | 3 | 3 | — | — | — | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | 26 | 3 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SW 13 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 14 | SW 13 | — | WSW 3 | SW 14 | — | NNW 3 | NW 3 | WSW 6 | WNW 3 | NW 3 | NW 3 | WSW 5 | WSW 5 | — | NW 3 | N 3 | — |
1951 | 2223 | 2573 | 2499 | 2254 | — | 4 | 2103 | — | 2 | 2 | 35 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 52 | 40 | — | 1 | 1 | — | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 7 | 14 | 92 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 36 | 4 | 36 | 570 | 4 | 36 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
Best forecast wave conditions in East Coast of Tasmania | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
Header Global | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Information about the Clifton Beach Surf forecast
The above surf forecast table for Clifton Beach provides essential information for determining whether the surfing conditions will be good over the next 16 days. A general guide to surfing at Clifton Beach can be found by selecting the local surf guide option on the grey menu. Our Clifton Beach surf forecast is unique since it includes wave energy (power) that defines the real feel of the surf rather than just the height or the period. If you surf the same spot (Clifton Beach) regularly then make a mental note of the wave energy from the surf forecast table each time you go. Very soon you may start to choose your surf days based on the wave energy alone combined with our forecast of favourable offshore wind conditions. Our star ratings will help here and of course you will also find the usual wave height and period predictions on our surf forecasts as well as a full break down of the swell components under our advanced users option (to reveal that, click the little Einstein character under the tide times).
Further information to help with frequently asked questions about our surf forecast for Clifton Beach may be found under the help tab on the top menu and also by moving your mouse over the question marks on the surf forecast table itself. Please always bear in mind that the forecast is for near-shore open water and local factors at each surf break influence the actual breaking wave height, such as the beach / reef profile, water depths offshore and shelter.
Are you planning a holiday in East Coast of Tasmania? If you are looking for accommodation near Clifton Beach, camping, hotels and holiday cottages in East Coast of Tasmania, consider staying in Hobart which is 21 km (13 miles) away. Alternatively, find information about places to stay and car hire in Port Arthur which is 30 km (19 miles) away











