La Caffrine Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a mixed bag coming up at La Caffrine. The pick of the window is shaping up to be next Monday the 7th, but there’s a solid run of proper swell before it gets too wild. Let’s get into it.

First off, the water temp at La Caffrine is sitting at 77°, a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – you might not need the thick wetsuit.

The action kicks off Monday afternoon, 31st of August. We’ve got a solid 8ft swell out of the ESE with a 9-second period. The energy is cranking at 1683 (moderate-strong), and it’s glassy wind from the north at only 3 mph. This one’s for the experienced crew – that’s a fair bit of push for a beginner spot. It’s fairly consistent here, and with offshore wind from the ENE normally being the go, this ESE swell is a little off-angle, but still fun.

Tuesday the 1st drops right off. Morning sees a small 3ft south swell, 11-second period, but the wind is cross from the NNW, making it messy. Avoid it – score is a dud.

Wednesday the 2nd is flat and wind-affected. Not worth paddling out.

Thursday the 3rd brings tiny 2ft waves out of the southwest with a long 13-second period, but it’s glassy morning and arvo. Just knee-high, but clean. Could be a fun little longboard session if you’re desperate.

Friday the 4th sees a jump: morning a small 2ft SW groundswell (19-second period!), energy of 600 (moderate). But the wind is cross-onshore. The afternoon bumps to 5ft from the SSW, 17-second period, energy up to 1409 (moderate-strong), but still cross-onshore. That long period will wrap pretty nicely at La Caffrine, but the wind is a shame.

Saturday the 5th – morning is 6ft SW with onshore wind, not great. But the afternoon turns glassy, 5ft SW, 14-second period, energy 894 (moderate). This is shaping up nicely for a late session – clean, solid waist-to-chest high waves with some real push.

Now, the standout: Monday morning, 7th of September. You want to be in the water early. It’s glassy, 7ft from the SSW, 14-second period, energy at 1604 (moderate-strong). That’s proper head-high-plus, clean as a whistle – no wind. For a fairly consistent break like La Caffrine, this is about as good as it gets. The optimum swell direction for the break is SSW, so this is dead on. Perfect conditions for experienced surfers. Crowds are *sometimes* an issue here, so get in early.

Tuesday the 8th blows up – 15ft SSW swell, period 15 seconds, energy hitting 9192 (very strong). But the file says it’s too big for this break. That’s a hard no unless you’re a chartered boat or a jetski. Same for Wednesday the 9th and Thursday the 10th – all oversized and messy.

Friday the 11th morning brings back some order: 6ft S swell, 11-second period, glassy wind – energy 1413 (moderate-strong). Another solid, clean session for experienced paddlers. The afternoon drops to 5ft, still glassy, smaller but fun.

From Saturday the 12th onwards it gets patchy. The 12th has clean cross-off winds and a 4ft south swell in the morning, then a 6ft ESE swell in the arvo – that’s alright. But Sunday the 13th is poor again, with cross-onshore winds and small waves.

Monday the 14th kicks up a fresh breeze – 19 mph cross-shore winds, 6ft SSW swell, 17-second period, energy 2039 (strong). It’s lumpy windy garbage for surfing, but if you’ve got a kite, that setup with big swell and strong wind is going to be a lot more interesting than trying to paddle.

The rest of the week into the 15th stays marginal – clean cross-off winds but the swell is too strong and the wind is fresh. Not worth a paddle.

So, to wrap it up: the absolute best is Monday morning, 7th September – glassy, 7ft SSW, dead-on direction, clean as. Also solid is Saturday afternoon, 5th September and Friday morning, 11th September. The huge stuff mid-week is for experts only on a rescue craft, or kite crew.

Stay salty.
Rusty.

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