Clifton Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

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