Mocambique Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get real about the surf. The coming days are a mixed bag. We’ve got a solid window of clean conditions shaping up for the middle of next week, and a real eye-popper of a swell at the very end of the forecast, but that one’s a beast and not for everyone. Gotta weed through some choppy, onshore junk first though.

Right now, the first surf worth paddling out for isn’t until Friday afternoon, the 11th of September. Mocambique is the only break here, and it’s a bit of a slow start. Friday arvo sees a 3ft swell from the ENE with a period of 8 seconds. The wind is a gentle cross-off from the North at 15 km/h, keeping things clean. The combined energy is weak at 232, so it’s small and a little weak, but it’s rideable. The water is sitting at 64°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year (anomaly of -1°C). Not a standout, but a start.

The weekend is pretty much a write-off. Saturday and Sunday (12th and 13th) are plagued by strong cross-onshore winds from the South, gusting up to 30 km/h, churning up messy, lumpy conditions on 5ft to 7ft swells. Not worth a second look. Then Monday the 14th is no better, with onshore wind and weak 3ft swells.

The first real light in the tunnel comes on Tuesday morning, the 15th of September. This is your first true standout. The morning session is the pick. A clean 6ft swell from the East with an 8-second period, but the wind is a light cross-off from the WSW at only 10 km/h, making for clean waves. Combined energy is moderate at 701. The water temp is still on the cool side, but the surf is solid and clean. Tuesday afternoon gets a bit onshore, so keep it to the morning.

Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th are a let-down again, with more cross-onshore wind and choppy conditions, despite some decent swell energy in the water (up to 882 on Wednesday morning, but ruined by the wind).

We get another small window of clean conditions late in the first week. Friday morning the 18th of September has offshore winds from the NNW at 10 km/h, with a 3ft SSE swell with an 11-second period – that long period means better shape, but small. By Friday afternoon, the wind swings to a mild cross-off from the North, with a 5ft ENE swell (7-second period). Both sessions are clean. The energy is light to moderate (346 and 333). Not huge, but fun and workable.

The weekend of the 19th-20th sees a mix. Saturday the 19th is marginal in the morning, then gets blown out in the arvo. But Sunday the 20th is clean again, with light cross-off winds from the NNE and a small, clean 3ft to 4ft E/SSE swell.

Monday the 21st of September brings a beauty: glassy conditions in the morning. Winds are dead calm from the North at 5 km/h—glassy! The swell is 4ft from the East, with a period of 7 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at 466. This is a top second-week pick. The afternoon gets a light cross-on breeze, so make it a dawn patrol.

Then we get a few more glassy mornings: Tuesday the 22nd with a glassy 3ft S swell (10-second period, very clean), and Wednesday the 23rd with a glassy 3ft E swell but very weak energy at 123. These are small but perfect for a longboard.

Now, the big one. Friday the 25th of September is a warning and a spectacle. The swell absolutely cranks up. Morning sees a 7ft swell from the South with a 7-second period, but by Friday afternoon it’s a massive 12ft from the South (period 8 seconds), with combined energy at a whopping 1475. That’s a lot of water moving. Despite offshore or light winds, the forecast notes this is too big for this break. This is serious, expert-only territory, if it’s even rideable. Saturday the 26th is still huge at 7ft with a very long 11-second period, and glassy conditions in the morning. Again, it’s a monster for pros only. The risk is heavy.

So, my final call: The true standouts are Tuesday morning the 15th of September (clean 6ft East swell, light wind) and Monday morning the 21st of September (glassy 4ft East swell). The late-surge on the 25th-26th is for the brave (or foolish), but it’s not a recommended session for most.

Rusty.

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