Long Strand-Castlefreke Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here.

Honestly, I’ve got to level with you: if you’re looking for a proper surf over the next sixteen days at Long Strand-Castlefreke, you’re going to be doing a lot of staring at flat, lumpy water. This stretch is looking pretty grim, and I’m calling it like I see it. The near-term is a total bust, and things don't really get going until the second week, and even then it’s a marginal call.

First up, we’ve got a run of days that are just not worth suiting up for. From now through to around the 5th of August, the swell is tiny, barely a ripple. On the 4th, we see a pulse of energy (172 of combined energy), but that short-period swell just doesn’t have any push behind it, and it’s coming in with onshore winds. Not good. The 6th and 7th are flat, even if Thursday the 6th dawns glassy. You’ll be staring at a lake.

The first real glimmer of hope shows up on Tuesday the 11th. There’s a modest bump of energy, 176 in the morning, and the swell direction is from the SSW, which is what this spot wants. The period is only 6 seconds in the morning, but it builds to 10 seconds by the afternoon, and the combined energy is 128. It’s still small, around 3ft, but it’s the best of a bad bunch. The wind is onshore though, which is a bummer for the morning, but it’s the only day in this whole window with any real substance.

Beyond that, it’s all over the place. The end of the week has some longer period swells, but they’re weak and get chopped up by strong winds. We see a long-period groundswell (12 seconds) on the 9th but with hardly any size. The 15th and 16th throw up some serious long-period energy (23 seconds!) but the swell height is almost nothing, and the winds are howling. That’s just frustration for a surfer.

So, what’s the call? The standout, if you can even call it that, is Tuesday the 11th of August. It’s the only window where the swell has any size and energy. The wind won’t be perfect, but it’s the best we’ve got. The rest is a write-off for paddle surfing. With the combination of strong winds and the beach break setup, days like the 13th and the 15th look more interesting for the kite crew than us.

In short, there are no good surf options in the next couple of weeks. Hold tight. A few breaks are fairly consistent here, so it tends not to stay this poor for long, but this run is testing. Keep an eye on the charts.

Rusty.

Read more