La Caffrine Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for La Caffrine. This spot is an exposed beginner-friendly break, and it’s a bit of a slow starter, but there’s a genuine window of magic coming.

Right now, the water is sitting at 76°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – a nice little bonus.

The first few days are pretty ordinary. Tuesday afternoon has a tiny 3 ft south swell, but it’s onshore. Wednesday is a bit of a write-off too, with a 2 ft SE swell going glassy in the morning, and then a limp 2 ft SW swell in the afternoon with a cross-on breeze. Thursday morning gets glassy again with a 2 ft SW swell, but it’s still small. The energy is weak all through this early part, only around 168 to 280 (weak energy). Nothing to get out of bed for.

Then Friday, September 4th, things start to rumble. A 3 ft SSW swell shows up in the morning, but it’s cross-on. The afternoon jumps to 5 ft from the SSW, and the energy climbs to 1374 (moderate), but it’s still cross-on. Not clean.

Saturday, September 5th is the first real standout. Saturday morning delivers a beautiful 6 ft SSW swell, glassy offshore wind from the south, and the energy is pumping at 1241 (moderate). The report says this is excellent for experienced surfers – the size is well over 5 ft, so it’s a bit too much for beginners, but for anyone with a bit of go, the long-period 14 second groundswell will set up nicely. That afternoon glassy conditions hold with a 5 ft swell. This is the best clean surf of the first week.

Sunday, September 6th keeps the good run going with glassy conditions and a dropping 4 ft to 4 ft SW swell, still with that lovely 13 second period. Energy stays solid around 920 to 981 (moderate). Beautiful.

Monday, September 7th sees the swell building again, up to 6 ft and then 7 ft from the south, but the wind swings cross-shore, and by the afternoon a moderate breeze is putting a cross-chop on the surface. The energy is up at 1943 and 3038 (strong), but it’s messy.

Tuesday, September 8th gets huge. Morning swell hits 7 ft from the SSW, with clean cross-off wind, but it’s already big. The afternoon, though, is a monster – 13 ft S swell at 14 seconds. The energy reading is 10016 (very strong). That is colossal. The catch is, the forecast says it’s too big for this break. This is expert-only territory, and even then, you’d be looking at a washing machine. Wednesday, September 9th is similar: 13 ft to 10 ft SSW swell, clean cross-off wind, but again, just too big for La Caffrine. The energy is through the roof at 9775 and 7172 (very strong). If you’re a serious charger, these two days are your window, but it’s a serious, serious ocean.

The second week starts to ease off. Thursday, September 10th afternoon becomes a standout again: a glassy 5 ft SW swell with a 14 second period, energy at 2095 (strong). Excellent conditions for experienced surfers. Friday, September 11th has a nice clean 3 ft SSW swell in the afternoon with cross-off wind. Saturday, September 12th morning is glassy with a 4 ft SSW swell. After that, things get a bit mixed.

Sunday, September 13th through Tuesday, September 15th has some solid swell (7 ft to 8 ft), but the wind is cross or onshore, and there are rain showers and even a risk of thunderstorms. The energy is high, but the quality is marginal. Wednesday, September 16th fades out with a 6 ft short-period ESE swell (only 7 seconds) and a 5 ft SSE swell, both with cross or cross-on wind.

So, to wrap it up: if you’re a beginner, the best bet is the glassy mornings of Thursday, September 3rd, and Sunday, September 6th, and the 4 ft glassy afternoon on the 6th. For the experienced crew, Saturday, September 5th is the pick of the first week – clean, punchy, and fun. And for the big-wave hunters, Tuesday, September 8th and Wednesday, September 9th are the ones to watch, but take a big board and a bigger heart. The long-period swells (14-17 seconds) are prone to throwing straight walls at the beach, so keep an eye on the tide.

Rusty.

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