Raffs Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let's get into it for Raffs Beach.

First up, the water temp is sitting at 57°, which is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year – no real surprises there.

The forecast starts off a bit average. The first real window of opportunity looks like Wednesday morning, 2nd September. We’ve got a solid 6 ft SW groundswell rolling in with a very long 16-second period. The wind is a cross-offshore breeze from the WNW at 15 mph, which should keep things pretty clean. The combined energy is really humming at 1928, so there’s a lot of movement in the water. This is a good session for a solid intermediate. The size is starting to push past beginner territory, but it’s not out of control.

Thursday afternoon, 3rd September, is where things get serious. The swell jumps to 13 ft from the WSW, with a massive combined energy of 9325. That’s a lot of power. Now, the wind is a clean cross-off at 16 mph, so the surface will be tidy, but this is strictly for experts only. Anything over 8 ft is big, and 13 ft is a proper handling job. This is the standout of the entire run, but you need to be on your game.

The big swell hangs around through Friday (4th) and Saturday (5th), with 10 ft to 13 ft still on the cards. The winds are cross-off for the mornings, which is a major positive, but the size remains in the expert zone. The combined energy is still in the thousands, so it’s not a day for the faint-hearted.

We then get a bit of a breather. Sunday morning, 6th September, is a sweet spot. The swell drops to a more manageable 7 ft from the SW, with a light 6 mph NW cross-off breeze. The combined energy is a moderate 1812, and conditions are clean. This is a great session for experienced surfers, and the crowd is only *sometimes* an issue, so you might have it to yourself.

Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th see the swell drop further, down to 4 ft to 5 ft. The winds are light and variable, even going glassy and offshore at times. The period is still long, so the waves will have shape, but the energy is lower (between 348 and 1344). This is beginner-friendly stuff again.

Now, there’s a bit of a rough patch from Wednesday 9th through to Friday 11th. The swell comes back up but with strong onshore winds from the S and SSE, making for messy, blown-out conditions. Not worth paddling out for.

Things clean up again on Sunday 13th. The afternoon looks particularly good with a 6 ft SW swell and glassy conditions – wind from the E at just 3 mph. That’s a rare treat. The combined energy is 1541, so there’s enough push for a fun, clean session.

The last few days of the forecast (14th to 16th September) taper off. We get small, clean surf on Monday 14th with a light offshore wind, and then it gets a bit choppy and onshore again. Nothing to write home about.

So, the standout for me is Thursday afternoon, 3rd September. It’s big, it’s clean, and it’s powerful. But that’s for the big dogs. For the average surfer, Sunday 6th September is the best all-rounder: solid, clean, and manageable.

Rusty.

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