Coffee Break Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: the next couple of weeks are looking pretty flat and grim for Coffee Break. I’ve scanned the forecast, and there’s not a single session that’s worth paddling out for. Not one. We’re looking at a solid run of poor surf conditions stretching from Monday the 14th all the way through to Monday the 28th. That’s a long, dry spell, and I’m not going to sugarcoat it.

For the first week, it’s all small, short-period windswell with cross-shore winds messing up any chance of a clean face. The swell heights hover around 3 ft to 4 ft, but the period is mostly in that weak 5 to 7 second range, so there’s no push or shape to it. The combined energy is generally weak to moderate, with readings like 128 and 194 in the first couple of days, but that doesn’t translate into anything rideable. It’s just messy, cross-chop slop. The winds, mostly easterly at 9 to 16 mph, are all cross-shore, and the forecast keeps saying “poor surf conditions” – that about sums it up. Even the clearer days don't help because the swell is just too weak and disorganized.

The second week doesn’t offer any relief. Swell heights drop off to 1.0 ft to 3 ft, with periods even shorter and energy readings sinking to as low as 24. There’s a brief bump around the 24th and 25th where the swell direction shifts to NNE and the period stretches to 10 seconds, but the heights are still only 2 ft to 3 ft. The energy picks up a bit – readings around 110 to 117 – but it’s still not enough to break properly for a reef like Coffee Break. It’s promising to see the period improve, but the size just isn’t there.

The only thing that even gets a mention is the very tail end of the forecast, on Tuesday the 29th. You get a little more size – 4 ft to 5 ft – with a 6-second period, and the morning has light winds and a combined energy of 184. The afternoon goes cross-offshore and clean with an energy of 177, which is better than anything we’ve seen. But the period is still short, and the forecast rates it as “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” It’s a hint of something, but not a green light.

For the water temp, it’s 84°F at the start, with an anomaly of 0.4°F, so that’s perfectly normal for this time of year. Nothing weird going on there.

So, bottom line: we are in a serious flat spell. There are no standouts, no hidden gems, just a long stretch of nothing. With the break being a consistent reef, it usually doesn’t stay this dead for long, and forecasts can change. Keep your board waxed and your eyes on the charts, but don’t get your hopes up for the next week and a half.

Rusty out.

Read more