Clifton Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming down the pipe for the next couple of weeks.

We’re kicking off Wednesday, July 15th with a bit of a split personality. The morning session at Clifton Beach is looking pretty darn good, with a 3ft SSW swell and a 14-second period. The wind is light and cross-offshore, keeping things clean. The water’s sitting at 53°, which is a touch cooler than usual for this time of year, but nothing crazy. Combined wave energy is solid at 389 – that’s a healthy, moderate push. This is a solid, fun-sized wave for a beginner-plus spot.

But hold on to your boardies, because Wednesday afternoon is a whole different beast. The swell jumps to 10ft from the SW and the energy rockets up to 3944 – that’s a very strong, hefty wall of water. For a fairly exposed break like Clifton, that’s going to be way too big and gnarly. This is expert-only territory, and even then, it’s probably going to be a washing machine. Leave it for the kite surfers.

Thursday morning, July 16th, is the real standout. The sun is out, the wind is light and offshore from the NNW, and we’ve got a 4ft, 16-second groundswell from the SSW. That’s a beautiful, long-period swell with over 900 in combined energy. The clarity is going to be unreal. That’s your pick of the whole forecast – a true gem.

The rest of Thursday afternoon and Friday morning (July 17th) are still very good with clean, offshore winds and chest-high swell, but the energy drops a bit. Friday afternoon and Saturday (July 18th) see the swell fade, dropping to 3ft and under. The wind stays clean, but the waves get small and weak.

Then we hit a long, dry spell. From Sunday, July 19th, all the way through to the end of the month on July 30th, the surf is tiny. We’re talking 0.7ft to 2ft of weak, slow-moving swell. The combined energy drops into the double digits and low triple digits. The wind is often offshore or cross-offshore, so it’s clean, but there’s just no power. It’s a long stretch of flat, ordinary conditions. The only potential hiccup is a big, stormy day on Thursday, July 23rd, with 25 mph winds whipping up a messy, cross-shore chop, but the swell is still small and poor.

So, to wrap it up: grab Wednesday morning, July 15th, and absolutely don’t miss Thursday morning, July 16th. That’s your best window. After that, it’s a long, quiet wait for the next pulse.

Rusty.

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