Surf Forecasts:
Clifton Beach surf forecast from 16 Aug 2026:
- Best quality surf: Sunday 23 Aug, 1AM (local time) - 4.5ft (1.4m), 15s period, SSW swell with cross-offshore winds.
- Most powerful swell: Sunday 23 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 5ft (1.5m), 17s period, S swell with 1,326 kJ wave energy.
- Next surfable swell (1★+): Monday 17 Aug, 10AM (local time) - 2.5ft (0.7m), 18s period with SSW 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 Monday (Aug 17) at 10AM. The primary swell is predicted to be 0.7m and 18s period. The wind is predicted to be glassy as the swell arrives.
The most powerful waves expected at Clifton Beach in the next 16 days are 1.5m 17s and forecast to arrive on Sunday (Aug 23) at 10AM. Winds are predicted to be offshore at the time the swell arrives. The largest open ocean swell (not directed at the beach) is 3.0m 15s period and expected on Saturday (Aug 22) at 7PM.
| Wave Type | Time (AEST) & Date | Wave Height & Period |
|---|---|---|
| Next good surf (1 star+) | 10AM (Mon 17th Aug) | 2.5ft (0.7m) 18s |
| Best Surf | 1AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 4.5ft (1.4m) 15s |
| Most Powerful | 10AM (Sun 23rd Aug) | 5ft (1.5m) 17s |
Table - best surf conditions forecast for Clifton Beach over the next 16 days.
The Lowdown
Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what’s coming up for Clifton Beach over the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a mixed bag ahead, so let’s get straight into it.
We’ve got a real slow start this week. The early days are pretty flat and small, with hardly any energy in the water to get excited about. The first glimmer of something decent pops up on Monday the 17th morning – it’s small at 2ft from the SSW, but it’s glassy with no wind and that long period of 18 seconds will bring some clean lines. The combined energy is modest at 318, but for a Monday morning paddle, it’s about as peaceful as it gets. Water temp is sitting at 52°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.
Through the middle of the week, things drop right off. Tuesday the 18th and Wednesday the 19th have tiny, weak waves around 1ft to 2ft – not worth getting wet for, unless you just want to sit on your board and watch the clouds. The offshore winds on those days keep it looking clean, but without any push, it’s a flat spell.
The standout window is the weekend. Sunday the 23rd morning is the one to circle on the calendar. We get a solid 5ft swell from the south with a good 17-second period, and the energy jumps right up to 1326 – that’s some proper grunt. The wind is offshore from the NNW and moderate, so the faces will be clean and lined up. This is the best of the entire forecast: a legit, powerful groundswell with good wind, and the sets will have some real push. For experienced surfers, it’ll be a joy; for beginners, 5ft might be a little too much, so choose your moment.
Crowds at Clifton Beach are often around, so expect company on that Sunday morning if you head out. The swell direction from the south is decent for this fairly exposed beach, and that long period will make for some nice lines off the sandbanks, though at a beach break it might close out a bit on the steep ones.
After that, Monday the 24th and Tuesday the 25th get messy with strong southwesterly winds and lumpy conditions. The swell stays in the 2ft to 5ft range but the quality drops hard. That stretch is a write-off for decent surf.
We get another little window on Thursday the 27th into Friday the 28th. Thursday morning sees a clean 2ft from the south with a long 18-second period and light cross-off wind – it’s small but glassy, and the energy is a modest 300. Then Friday the 28th morning goes back to glassy conditions, 3ft from the SSW, period of 17 seconds, energy of 385. That’s a nice, gentle morning surf for a longboard or a funboard.
The tail end of the forecast on August 30th and 31st has more small, clean mornings in the 2ft to 3ft range, but nothing with the punch of that Sunday the 23rd. So, to wrap it up: the whole first week is flat, the second week has one absolute standout on Sunday the 23rd morning – that’s your best bet by a long shot. After that, it fades back into small, clean but unremarkable conditions. Stay patient, and if you can, make that Sunday session happen.
Rusty.
Short Range ForecastMostly dry. Very mild (max 17°C on Wed morning, min 9°C on Mon morning). Wind will be generally light. | Days 4-6 Weather SummaryMostly dry. Very mild (max 14°C on Thu morning, min 7°C on Sat night). Winds increasing (light winds from the W on Thu night, fresh winds from the SW by Sat afternoon). | ||||||||||||||||||||
Monday 17 | Tuesday 18 | Wednesday 19 | Thursday 20 | Friday 21 | Saturday 22 | Sunday 23 | |||||||||||||||
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 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | S 18 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 18 | SW 16 | SSW 18 | SSW 13 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | S 17 | S 16 | SSW 14 |
Wave Graph | |||||||||||||||||||||
318 | 359 | 172 | 166 | 98 | 44 | 48 | 47 | 26 | 58 | 27 | 61 | 62 | 64 | 164 | 867 | 974 | 827 | 1326 | 1160 | 529 | |
Wind (km/h) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Wind State on-shore cross-onshore cross-shore cross-offshore off-shore glassy | glassy | cross-on | off | off | cross-off | off | off | off | off | off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross-off | cross | cross-on | cross-off | off | cross-off | cross-off |
High Tide | 10:42AM0.53m | 10:52PM0.42m | 11:07AM0.56m | 00:08AM0.38m | 11:36AM0.59m | 1:25AM0.37m | 12:10PM0.61m | 2:33AM0.36m | 12:49PM0.63m | 3:25AM0.36m | 1:33PM0.65m | 4:08AM0.37m | 2:19PM0.67m | ||||||||
Low Tide | 5:20PM0.29m | 4:14AM0.30m | 6:26PM0.26m | 4:26AM0.33m | 7:21PM0.23m | 4:43AM0.34m | 8:07PM0.20m | 5:14AM0.35m | 8:50PM0.18m | 6:01AM0.35m | 9:33PM0.16m | 6:56AM0.35m | 10:15PM0.14m | ||||||||
7:01 | — | — | 7:00 | — | — | 6:58 | — | — | 6:56 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:54 | — | — | 6:52 | — | — | |
— | 5:25 | — | — | 5:28 | — | — | 5:29 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:30 | — | — | 5:31 | — | — | 5:32 | — | |
mm | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 |
Temp °C | 11 | 11 | 11 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 17 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 14 | 15 | 13 |
Feels °C | 9 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 7 |
Swell 1 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | SSW 18 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 16 | ENE 7 | SSW 17 | SSW 16 | SSW 18 | SSW 6 | SSW 18 | SSW 13 | SSW 15 | SSW 16 | SSW 15 | S 17 | S 16 | SSW 14 |
318 | 359 | 172 | 166 | 98 | 44 | 48 | 47 | 9 | 58 | 27 | 61 | 15 | 64 | 147 | 867 | 974 | 827 | 1326 | 1160 | 529 | |
Swell 2 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 13 | S 10 | SSW 18 | — | — | ENE 6 | ENE 8 | S 8 | SSW 15 | ENE 6 | E 6 | E 6 | SW 16 | SW 7 | SSW 17 | — | — | S 20 | — | — | — |
4 | 30 | 108 | — | — | 7 | 6 | 1 | 21 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 62 | 14 | 164 | — | — | 30 | — | — | — | |
Swell 3 Height (m) Direction Period (s) | E 11 | E 13 | E 13 | — | — | E 12 | E 12 | — | S 18 | S 10 | SW 13 | — | SSW 19 | SSW 14 | NE 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
2 | 3 | 3 | — | — | 3 | 3 | — | 26 | 2 | 7 | — | 37 | 41 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Wind waves Height (m) Direction Period (s) | — | — | NNE 3 | NNE 3 | NE 4 | N 3 | N 3 | NE 6 | N 3 | N 3 | WNW 2 | WSW 3 | W 3 | WNW 3 | NW 3 | — | W 3 | W 3 | NW 3 | — | NW 3 |
— | — | 1 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | 1 | 3 | 3 | — | 1 | |
Nearest Offshore or Glassy | |||||||||||||||||||||
Distance (km) | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 505 | 14 | 56 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
Best forecast wave conditions in East Coast of Tasmania | |||||||||||||||||||||
Best forecast wave conditions in Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||
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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











