La Caffrine Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about this stretch of coast.

Right off the bat, we've got a massive, powerful pulse of south swell hitting La Caffrine. The energy numbers are off the charts – we're talking over 5700 on Thursday morning, climbing to over 11000 by Friday afternoon. This is a serious, heavy SW groundswell with a very long 17-second period. But here's the catch: it's too big. Thursday and Friday see waves at 10 ft to 15 ft. That's not a paddling waves; that's a tow-in or a spectator sport for everyone except absolute experts. Even then, it's a beast. The water is 77°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, making the wait a bit more comfortable.

The first genuine shot for a standard surfer arrives on Sunday, 30 August. The swell drops to a more manageable 8 ft from the S, and the period is still a solid 14 seconds – plenty of energy there. The wind goes glassy, both morning and afternoon. This is proper groundswell with zero wind. That's a clean, powerful wave. The energy is still strong (3702), but now it's in the wheelhouse of an experienced surfer. For the crew who can handle it, this is the standout of the first week. Just know that 8 ft with that period will have some push.

From Monday the 31st, it drops off quickly. Monday and Tuesday are marginal with waist-high, weak swell (energy dropping into the 200s). A tiny, glassy wave on Tuesday morning at 3 ft, but it's not enough to get excited about. There's a real lull here through the middle of the week – Wednesday and Thursday at La Caffrine are flat to tiny with poor to marginal conditions. This gap lasts a few days.

Then we get a flicker of life. Saturday, 5 September shows promise. Morning starts a bit lumpy and cross-shore at 6 ft, but the afternoon goes totally glassy – a calm, zero-wind scenario with 7 ft SW swell at a long 15-second period. That's clean, powerful, and a great window for someone with experience. The energy is up around 1755. That's the second standout window. Sunday the 6th also holds up with a clean 5 ft in the afternoon.

Looking into the second week, the pattern of big, clean swells returns. The morning of Monday, 7 September sees 8 ft SSW swell with a very long 17-second period, energy at 3606, and light cross-shore wind. This is another one for experienced surfers only. The morning of Tuesday the 8th is cleaner with 7 ft but a shorter 13-second period – still good. But the big one in the second week looks like Wednesday, 9 September. Morning swell hits 11 ft from the S at a 17-second period, with clean cross-offshore wind and energy at a massive 7313. Again, this is expert territory. Too big and powerful for most of us.

In summary, if you're an experienced surfer, the standout days are Sunday the 30th of August with glassy 8 ft, Saturday the 5th of September with glassy 7 ft, and Wednesday the 9th of September with clean but very heavy 11 ft. For the rest of us, there's not much to write home about until those windows open up.

Rusty.

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