Clifton Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's take a look at what the next couple of weeks are serving up for us at Clifton Beach.

It’s a bit of a mixed bag to start this outlook period, with a big, messy event on the cards before things settle down into smaller cleaner windows. Don’t get too excited about the first week; the real standout is a narrow window on Wednesday morning, July 8th, which looks like the pick of the entire run.

The forecast kicks off on Saturday afternoon, July 4th, but it's nothing to write home about. We've got a solid 10ft swell from the SSW wrapping in, carrying a massive amount of energy (3915), but that strong onshore SW wind at 22 mph is going to turn it into a lumpy, blown-out mess. That sets the tone for a few days of tricky conditions running into early next week.

Sunday, July 5th sees the swell drop a little but we’re still dealing with less-than-ideal onshore wind. The morning is a write-off, though by the afternoon we might see something rideable as the wind goes light onshore.

Monday, July 6th morning is the first real surfable window. A clean 3ft south swell with a nice 14-second period and light offshore NNW wind. It’s not big, but it will be clean and fun for the beginners and longboarders. The energy is weak (407), so don’t expect much push.

From there we go into a stretch of small, clean conditions. Tuesday, July 7th morning offers a tiny 3ft south-southwest groundswell with a long 17-second period and clean cross-offshore wind. Same story for Wednesday, July 8th morning, which is our standout. We see a clean 4ft swell from the south with a very long 18-second period. The wind is light and offshore from the NNW, the energy jumps to moderate (940), and conditions are set to be glassy. This is your window. The long period means better shaped, more powerful waves, and with offshore winds, Clifton should hold up nicely. It’s a fairly exposed beach, so that long period might make it a little straight, but with that wind, it’s the best we’ll see.

The rest of the first week and into the second week is a slow decline. Thursday, July 9th through Saturday, July 11th keep the offshore winds but the swell drops to under 3ft, leaving very small, weak waves. By Sunday, July 12th, we're down to just 1.0ft with no energy (45). It’s a flat spell.

We get a brief spike around Wednesday, July 15th, with a 7ft south swell, but it's hammered by a strong onshore SW wind at 25-28 mph. That combination is just messy and dangerous, not for paddling. Think kite-surfing conditions more than anything.

The outlook dries up again heading into the final days of the window. Friday, July 17th and Saturday, July 18th offer tiny clean waves again, with a glimmer of hope on Saturday afternoon when the wind goes glassy. But we're talking about long-period swells of only 1ft – barely a ripple.

So, to sum it up: the first big swell is a washout, leaving Wednesday, July 8th morning as the clear standout. After that, it’s a long, drawn-out period of small, clean but small surf. The water temperature is 53°F, which is about normal for this time of year, so don't leave the wetsuit at home.

Rusty.

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