La Caffrine Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, and I’ve had a good look at what’s coming up for La Caffrine. Let’s get straight into it.

We’ve got a solid run of surf starting this Friday, 21 August, but it kicks off with a bit of a mixed bag. The water’s sitting at 77°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – not a huge deal, but you’ll notice it’s a little more comfortable than usual.

The first real standout is Saturday, 22 August. The morning is glassy with a clean 6 ft SW swell and a period of 14 seconds. That’s nice groundswell energy, and the combined energy reading is 1188 – moderate, but plenty for a fun session. The crowd factor is listed as “sometimes”, so you might have to share the waves, but with that glassy surface and a solid swell direction matching the optimum, this is the pick of the early days. The afternoon is just as good, glassy again with similar conditions.

Sunday, 23 August, pushes up to 8 ft SW swell in the morning, still glassy, and the combined energy jumps to 2590 – that’s strong. This is getting into expert territory, but if you’ve got the skill, the conditions are excellent. The afternoon holds at 8 ft with glassy winds.

Monday, 24 August, the morning is a bit tricky – the swell is 8 ft from the SSW, but the wind is onshore, making it marginal. The afternoon cleans right up though, with glassy conditions and the same 8 ft SSW swell – that’s a solid window for experienced surfers.

From Tuesday, 25 August, the swell drops a bit, but the wind isn’t as kind – mostly cross or onshore, so the quality fades. The energy readings drop into the 900-1200 range, which is still moderate, but the conditions aren’t as clean.

There’s a gap of a few days from around Wednesday, 26 August, into the end of the month, where the surf gets smaller and less consistent. The energy drops to around 700-800, and while there are glassy moments, the swell is down to 4 ft to 4 ft – not really worth paddling out for.

Then, Thursday, 27 August, things get serious again. The swell jumps to 8 ft in the morning and 10 ft in the afternoon, both from the SSW with a long period of 16-17 seconds. The combined energy hits 3592 and then 5716 – that’s strong to very strong. But the wind is cross-shore, and the waves are going to be too big for this break. This is kite-surfing territory, not paddle surfing.

Friday, 28 August, and Saturday, 29 August, are even bigger – 15 ft to 16 ft swells with energy readings over 10,000 and even 15,000. The wind is cross-offshore and clean, but the swell is massive. Only for experts, and even then, it’s likely too much for La Caffrine. The forecast says it’s too big for this break.

Sunday, 30 August, the swell drops back to 8 ft from the S, with glassy conditions in the morning and a combined energy of 3866. That’s a solid window for experienced surfers, but the afternoon turns onshore again.

From Monday, 31 August, through to the end of the run, the swell fades. The energy drops to 274 by 1 September, and by 2 September, we’re looking at 2 ft to 2 ft swells with barely any energy – 168 to 181. The conditions are glassy, but the waves are small and ordinary. Not worth the trip.

There’s a brief spike on 3 September with a 7 ft SE swell, but the period is short at 8 seconds, and the energy is only 1094 – marginal at best. The real standout in the second week is actually Saturday, 5 September, with a 8 ft ESE swell, glassy morning, and a combined energy of 1540. That’s a solid, clean session for experienced surfers, but it’s a one-off in a generally quiet period.

Overall, the best days are Saturday, 22 August, and Sunday, 23 August – glassy, strong SW groundswell, and excellent conditions. After that, the big stuff is too big, and the small stuff is too small. Keep an eye on the 5 September morning for a late surprise.

Rusty.

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