Long Strand-Castlefreke Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Long Strand-Castlefreke. I’ll be straight with you – this is a tough one to call. We’ve got a run of surf ahead, but mostly small and messy for the next week or so. The water’s sitting at around 61°F, which feels pretty normal for this time of year, no big surprises there.

Starting from Tuesday the 15th, the whole week is a write-off for a proper session. We’re looking at tiny 0.7ft to 3ft swells from the SW and W, chopped up by strong cross-onshore winds hitting 15 to 22 mph. The energy is weak, barely registering above 50 (33 to 86 range). It’s all poor surf conditions, not worth paddling out for.

We do get a bit of calm on Sunday the 20th and Monday the 21st, with the wind going onshore but very light, and a long period 13-14 second groundswell from the SSW. The catch? The swell height is a pathetic 0.3ft to 0.7ft. Combined energy is only 15 to 42. That’s not surf, that’s a lake. Not a single quality wave in sight.

The first glimmer of something better shows up on Tuesday the 22nd. We get a glassy morning with light ESE winds, and a 10-second period WSW swell at only 1ft. Still too small to get excited about, but the conditions will be clean. The combined energy is a weak 43.

Then there’s a long gap of nothing worthwhile until we hit Saturday the 26th of September. That’s a full week with barely a ripple. On the 26th, things finally wake up. A solid 3ft WSW groundswell with a long 15-second period rolls in, and the combined energy jumps to 351 – that’s moderate energy, a real boost. The wind is cross-shore from the SE at 12 mph, creating a bit of a cross-chop, but the swell is there. This is the standout of the whole outlook. It’s a long-period groundswell, which means clean, well-shaped waves at this exposed SW-facing break, but it can make beach breaks a bit straight. Worth a look for the advanced crew. The swell is under 5ft so it’s manageable for most.

After that, Sunday the 27th and Monday the 28th offer clean conditions with offshore and cross-offshore winds from the NNW and NNE, but the swell drops back to 0.7ft to 1ft. A clean fade-out. The end of the month is more of the same – small and not worth the drive.

So, if you’re after the best on offer, Saturday the 26th of September is your only real bet. Get on that long-period WSW groundswell while the energy is up. Everything else is a flat, windy tease. Keep an eye on it, though – it tends not to stay poor for long around here.

Rusty.

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