Crab Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Crab Island (Clare) over the next couple of weeks.

Straight up, this is a tough stretch. This is an advanced reef break that’s fairly consistent, but the wind and conditions are just not playing ball for a long, long time. We’re looking at a massive gap of over a week before anything even remotely rideable shows up. The first proper surf recommendation doesn’t hit until Saturday the 12th of September.

For the first week, it’s a write-off. We’ve got howling westerly winds, strong breeze conditions, and a lot of onshore and cross-onshore slop. The swell is there – in fact, we see a big 12ft W swell pumping on Friday the 4th with a combined energy of 3274 – that’s strong wave energy right there – but it’s accompanied by a 28 mph onshore wind. That’s just a washing machine. No good for surfing. The pattern continues with messy, lumpy, or choppy conditions through until the 11th. Even when the swell drops to 4ft on Sunday the 6th, the wind is still a fresh 22 mph cross-off, so it’s not clean enough to call a goer.

Now, the light at the end of the tunnel. Saturday the 12th of September is your best bet. The morning session is the standout. We’ve got a 4ft W-N-W swell, 11 seconds period, with a light 6 mph offshore breeze from the E-N-E. That’s clean. The combined energy is moderate at 517, but with that offshore wind and a solid period, this reef should start to hold a nice shape. This is for advanced surfers only – the reef demands respect. The afternoon on the same day gets a bit tricky with a cross-shore wind, but the morning is the clear window.

Sunday the 13th of September morning is also worth a mention. We get a 5ft W swell, 10 seconds, with glassy conditions. That’s a rare treat. The wind is basically dead calm at 3 mph from the S-E. The combined energy is 407, so moderate, but the glassy surface will make it look better than the size suggests. The afternoon goes back to cross-on shore, so get out early.

Beyond that, the second week just fades out. Another pulse of 10ft W swell on Monday the 14th is ruined by a 19 mph cross-on wind. The energy is strong (1130-1576), but the wave quality is just poor. It’s a kite-surfing setup at that point, not a paddle-surfing one. The rest of the week is small, messy, and generally not worth getting the wetsuit on for.

So, to sum it up: the only real standouts are the Saturday 12th morning and the Sunday 13th morning at Crab Island. The rest of the forecast is a long, frustrating wait. The water temperature is about average for the time of year.

Stay patient, and keep an eye on the long-range. Forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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