La Caffrine Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer.

Well, it’s a slow start. We’re looking at a bit of a wait for any proper waves, with nothing worthwhile until the middle of next week. The first few days are flat or just too marginal to bother with.

Things finally get going on the 22nd of August. The swell builds Saturday afternoon to about 6 feet out of the SW, but the real standout is La Caffrine (Rivière Noire) on Sunday the 23rd. We’ve got a solid SW groundswell pushing 8 ft to 8 ft with a nice 14-second period, and the wind goes glassy. That’s clean, powerful surf – a good step up from the smaller stuff. The combined energy is strong, hitting 2554, so there’s plenty of push. This is expert territory at that size, so don’t take it lightly. Water temp is a touch warmer than usual for August at 77°, so the wetsuit will be comfortable.

Monday the 24th holds similar size early at 8 ft, still glassy in the morning, but the wind swings cross-onshore in the afternoon, so the window is the AM.

After that, the swell drops back a bit through the 25th and 26th, with a period of messy, onshore wind conditions that won’t be great for clean waves.

Now, here’s something for the second week: a big, clean pulse arrives for the 27th and 28th of August. The swell jumps to 13 ft to 15 ft out of the SSW with super long periods of 18 to 20 seconds, and the wind is clean cross-off. The combined energy readings are massive – 12886. But realistically, that’s just too much size for this spot. It’s big and raw, and while the conditions look incredible, it’s only for the top-tier, experienced crew. For most of us, that’s one to watch from the shore.

We see a tapering off into better, more manageable sizes by the 30th of August, with 6 ft SSW swell and clean conditions again.

The tail end of the forecast, into the 31st of August and 1st of September, brings some solid, clean SSW groundswell in the 5 ft range. That’s a much friendlier size, and with glassy winds on the 31st morning, that’s a solid session on offer. The water will still be a touch warm, and the waves will have good shape.

Overall, the standout is definitely the Sunday the 23rd and Monday the 24th of August for that clean, powerful SW swell. The second week’s big pulse on the 27th and 28th is a spectacle, but too big for most. The last few days of the run look really fun for a wider range of surfers.

Rusty.

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