Raffs Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Raffs Beach. This is a spot that's exposed to SW swell, and it's a pretty consistent setup for beginners, so we’ve got a bit of a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks.

We start off with a bit of a tease. On Monday the 31st of August, we’ve got a solid 7ft SW groundswell with a long 14-second period rolling in. The energy is strong (1668), and the magic is the glassy, near-calm wind. For experienced surfers, this is a proper window. The water temp is sitting at 56°, which is about average for this time of year. That Monday morning is the clear standout of the first week. The afternoon, however, gets a bit sketchy with a cross breeze.

The rest of the week is a waiting game. Tuesday has some clean offshore winds, but the swell drops a bit. Through Wednesday and into Thursday, the swell builds back up, but the wind turns onshore and gets strong. By Thursday morning, the swell hits 12ft, and the energy is pumping (3732), but the wind is a messy cross-shore at 22 mph. That size is too big for beginners, and the conditions aren't great for paddle surfing either – this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Friday and Saturday see the swell go even bigger – 15ft on Saturday with massive energy (16522). That’s expert territory only, and the wind is up again. By Sunday the 6th, the swell drops back to 10ft and the wind goes clean offshore. The afternoon of the 6th is a notable mention: 8ft, offshore, clean, moderate energy (2298) – that’s a good, solid session for experienced surfers.

Then we hit a gap. Monday the 7th has a small, glassy 4ft morning, but it gets messy in the afternoon. From Tuesday the 8th onward, the wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, and the swell is either too big or too messy. The combined energy numbers are still big (up to 14016), but the wind is just ruining the quality. There’s a small window on the 13th of September with a 6ft SE windswell and a short 7-second period, but the wind is clean. The 14th of September morning has a tiny 3ft SW groundswell (16-second period) with clean conditions, but it’s very small for a beach break.

Best on offer: Monday morning, the 31st of August – 7ft SW groundswell, glassy, for experienced surfers. The secondary standout is the afternoon of Sunday the 6th of September – 8ft, clean offshore, solid energy.

Overall, it’s a mixed 16-day run. The first week has a couple of real windows, but the second week is mostly a write-off with onshore winds and big, messy waves. The beaches here will be mostly blown out, except for those few clean windows.

Rusty.

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