Long Strand-Castlefreke Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Right, let's have a look at what's on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, we’ve got a bit of a rough stretch ahead. The forecast is looking pretty flat and messy for the most part, so don't get your hopes up too high. The first real glimmer of anything worthwhile isn't until Thursday the 27th, and even then it's a bit of a one-off.

Let's break it down. We're kicking off on Saturday the 22nd with tiny, weak swell from the SSW. The combined energy is a paltry 80 (weak energy), and with a NNE breeze, it's clean but there's just no power. That poor run of tiny, period-less swell and cross-shore breezes keeps going right through the weekend and into the start of the week. Sunday the 23rd has a bit more energy (105) in the afternoon, but still only 1 ft and a cross-offshore wind. Not enough to get excited about.

Monday the 24th afternoon sees a sudden spike to 5 ft, but it's a short-period 7 second SE windswell piling in with a fresh easterly breeze. The energy jumps to 238 (moderate wave energy), but that's messy, crumbly stuff. That's more of a kitesurfing setup than a proper paddle session.

The only standout window in the whole outlook is the morning of Thursday the 27th. We’ve got a 4 ft SSE swell, with a moderate 8 second period. The energy is up at 196 (moderate wave energy), and more importantly, we’ve got a solid NE offshore breeze, 12 mph. That’s clean, offshore wind. The catch? The guidance says it might be too big for this break, so it could be a bit of a handful. For a seasoned surfer at Long Strand-Castlefreke, that’s the call. The water is a touch warmer than normal at 65°F for this time of year. That session is the best on offer, no question.

After that brief moment of hope, it’s back to the same old story. The rest of the outlook is a long, drawn-out run of tiny, onshore-dominated junk. From Thursday afternoon onward, the wind is mostly cross-on or onshore, the swell drops back to 2 ft or less, and the period is all over the place. There’s a couple of days in early September with a long-period groundswell (17-18 seconds) but the wind is straight onshore or strong cross-onshore, making it a complete mess. The energy on the 2nd of September afternoon is 219 (moderate wave energy) with 5 ft, but it’s a lumpy, cross-onshore mess. Not worth paddling out for.

So, to sum it up: it’s a long, flat, and mostly blown-out period. The one real chance is Thursday morning, the 27th. If you can get out for that, you’ll get some clean, offshore lines. The rest of the time, the surf is poor, and the conditions are just not cooperating. Hang tight, lads.

Rusty.

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