Long Strand-Castlefreke Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at what’s on the menu for Long Strand-Castlefreke over the next couple of weeks. Gotta be straight with you, it’s a rough start. The opening days of September are looking pretty grim with onshore winds and small, weak swell. We’re not seeing any real recommendations until we get into the second week, so there’s a bit of a gap to sit through.

The story starts to change around Monday the 7th. We’ve got a light offshore breeze from the SSW blowing in the morning, with a clean 4ft swell rolling in from the SW. The period is a nice long 12 seconds, so there’s some proper groundswell energy on the way. The water here is sitting at 64°, a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. But here’s the catch: the swell is predicted to be a bit too big for this break at that size, so this one might be a bit of a handful even with the favorable conditions. Still, that morning session is the best we’ve got in the first week – it’s the standout.

After that, the wind picks up again and the swell drops, so we’re back to small, choppy junk for a few days. Then we get another window on Thursday the 10th. The afternoon brings a 7ft swell from the SSW, but it’s short period at 8 seconds, meaning it’s more wind swell than groundswell. The winds are light from the SSW, just cross-onshore. Again, the raw data tells us the swell is too big for this break, so it’s a serious paddle and not for the faint-hearted. Only experts should even think about it.

Looking further out, Sunday the 13th is a beast of a day. The morning has an 8ft swell from the S, with a strong offshore ENE wind at 25 mph. The wind is offshore and clean, but that swell size is pushing into expert-only territory. The afternoon gets even bigger – 10ft from the SSW with a 9-second period. Again, the forecast says it’s too big for this break. Unless you’re a seasoned charger with a big-wave gun, stay on the beach. The winds are cross-offshore, keeping it clean, but the power is just immense.

After that, we’ve got a few days of cleaner but smaller surf, with the 14th and 15th offering 5ft to 4ft swells, but the wind is either cross-off or light onshore, so it’s not going to be that classic Long Strand peel. Honestly, the only real standout sessions are the early morning on the 7th if you’re feeling brave, and possibly the late afternoon on the 10th for the serious crowd. The rest of the 16 days is a mix of too small, too windy, or too big. It’s one of those runs where you’ve got to pick your moment carefully.

This is Rusty, signing off.

Read more