Horace Caldwell Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s look at this stretch. Honestly, for the next week or so, it’s pretty flat and messy at Horace Caldwell Pier. There’s surf on offer, but it’s all tiny, short-period slop with onshore wind messing it up. From the 31st through the 9th, we’re looking at waves in the 2ft to 3ft range, mostly from the SE with periods of only 4-5 seconds. That’s just wind chop, not real swell. The energy is weak, with values mostly between 11 and 27 — not enough to get excited about. The wind is constantly cross-onshore or onshore, so it’ll be bumpy and messy. There’s a stretch from the 31st to the 2nd where it’s particularly poor, with waves barely breaking and no push. This is beginner territory at best, and even then, it’s not going to be fun.

We get a bit of a pulse around the 10th, with the swell picking up to 4ft on the Thursday. The period stretches to 6 seconds, and the energy jumps to 83 and 109, which is moderate. But it’s still onshore, so it’s not going to be clean. It’s a bit more size, but the surface will be lumpy and hard to read.

Then things get interesting. On the 11th of September, we finally see some proper swell arrive. Friday morning sees 5ft from the SE with a 7-second period and energy of 234. The wind is light and cross-shore from the SSW, which is a real plus. This is the first decent day on offer. The afternoon stays at 5ft but picks up wind from the SE, which is more onshore, so morning is the call.

The standout of the whole run is the 12th of September. Saturday morning brings 7ft of SE swell with that 7-second period and energy of 363, and the wind is light from the S – only 10 km/h. It’s going to be a bit cross-on, but those light winds will keep it cleaner than anything we’ve seen. By the afternoon, it jumps to 8ft with energy of 514, but the wind swings onshore from the SE at 15 km/h, so it’ll be a bit more ragged. Still, that morning session is the pick of the forecast. This is getting solid, punchy, and will have some push. It’s getting big for beginners, though – over 5ft is getting challenging, and at 7ft plus, it’s more for the experienced crew.

The 13th holds in at 5ft with similar conditions, but the wind is a bit stronger and onshore by the afternoon. The 14th also has 5ft in the morning with light onshore wind, but it drops off fast by the afternoon.

The last day in the window, the 15th, sees the swell fade back down to 3ft, but the wind is offshore – light from the WNW – and it’s glassy. That’s a beautiful ending to the run, but the waves will be small and weak, with energy of only 44. It’ll be clean but small. Also, that 7-8 second period is a middling period, not a long-period groundswell, so it won’t have the same grunt as a proper long-period swell.

Water temps are about average for the time of year, with no anomaly to speak of.

So, if you have to pick a day, it’s the morning of the 12th of September. That’s your standout. The morning of the 11th is a solid second choice. After that, it’s a waiting game. The long-range stuff is promising, but it’s a week out, so keep in mind it can change. There’s a lot of flat, crappy days between the 31st and the 9th, a solid build on the 10th, and then the good stuff shows up for a couple of days.

Rusty.

Read more