Clifton Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. The only spot on the radar for the next 16 days is Clifton Beach, and it’s a real mixed bag.

The overall pattern starts with a promising little pulse of groundswell that rolls in over the first weekend. Saturday morning, August 1st, we’ve got a clean 3ft SSW groundswell with a very long 18-second period, pushing through with a decent amount of energy (496). The wind is a moderate offshore from the NNW, so the lineup should be pretty clean. The water sits at 53°, which is about average for this time of year. That Saturday afternoon, the swell picks up a notch to 4ft, still from the SSW, and the wind drops to a light northwesterly, making for some clean, cross-off waves. This is the best on offer – a true standout for the whole outlook. The wave energy jumps right up (1032), telling you there’s some real grunt behind these sets.

Sunday morning, August 2nd, keeps the good run going: 4ft from the south with a 17-second period, offshore north wind, and clean conditions. The energy is still solid (675). Sunday afternoon backs off a little to 3ft, but it’s still clean and fun.

Then things drop off fast. Monday the 3rd and Tuesday the 4th are small, weak, and ordinary. By Wednesday the 5th, we’re down to ankle-snappers at 1ft with onshore wind – it’s a write-off. Thursday the 6th is flat and glassy but tiny.

Friday the 7th sees a bit of a lift: 2ft, long-period SSW groundswell again, with a clean offshore NNE breeze in the morning. The energy comes back up (385), but it’s a short-lived tease. The following week from Saturday the 8th onwards is plagued by strong, fresh offshore winds (18-25 mph) that will blow the tops off anything small, and the swell just doesn’t hold. The middle of the second week, around Wednesday the 12th, sees a push of 5ft SSW swell, but it’s hammered by strong cross-onshore winds, making it messy and lumpy. That kind of strength with those winds makes it look more interesting for kite surfing than a paddle session.

The very end of the run, on Sunday the 16th, offers a couple of glassy, tiny waves (1-1ft) – surfable for a longboard if you’re desperate, but it’s a quiet end.

So, the standout is clearly the first weekend: Saturday the 1st and Sunday the 2nd. That’s the window to hit it. After that, there’s a long gap of poor quality until Friday the 7th gives a brief, cleaner window, and then it’s mostly a battle against wind and small, messy surf again.

Rusty.

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