Raffs Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's cookin' for Raffs Beach.

Right off the bat, the next couple of days are a bit of a washout. We've got some small, weak swell Thursday afternoon, but the wind is all over the place and it's just not gonna be worth paddling out. The combined wave energy is only 291, which is weak. You're better off waiting.

Friday sees a little bump in size, with chest-high 4ft swell from the SW, and a nice long period of 14-15 seconds. Wind is cross-off, keeping things clean, but the overall score is still low. It's rideable but nothing special.

Now, here's where it gets interesting. Saturday, August 22, a proper swell hits. We're talking 12ft of SW groundswell, but that's way too much for this spot. The setup is a beach, and with that much energy (combined energy a massive 8880), it'll be a washing machine. This is one for the experts only, or maybe the kite surfers. The wind switches around, but honestly, it's just too big.

Sunday, August 23 is your best bet in this first week. The swell drops to a solid 7ft in the morning, still from the SW with a decent 13-second period. The wind goes light and cross-off from the NNW, and it's clear skies. The combined energy is still strong at 2210. That's excellent, powerful surf for experienced surfers. The afternoon cleans up a touch more, dropping to 6ft but with the same light cross-off wind. This is the standout for the first week.

Monday, August 24 is very good too, with a more manageable 5ft from the SW and offshore winds from the N. Clean, lined-up waves for a solid session. The water temp is 56°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year. Not a standout like Sunday, but a solid day.

From Tuesday the 25th, things turn ugly. The wind swings onshore from the S, and by the afternoon it's howling at 22 mph with a lumpy, wind-affected 8ft swell. That's poor. This onshore slop carries right through Wednesday and into the end of the week. The combined energy drops, but the wind just ruins it.

We get a bit of a reprieve on Friday, August 28. The morning shows a 5ft swell from the SW with a very long 17-second period and clean cross-off winds. That's a beautiful groundswell, but with that long period at a beach break, it might close out a bit. Still, for an experienced surfer, the power will be there. The combined energy is a solid 1397 (moderate).

After that, the end of the month and into September is pretty quiet. We get a bunch of days with poor wind and small swell. The 30th and 31st have tiny 2ft to 3ft waves, though the 31st sees light offshore winds, making for some small, clean fun waves for a log.

Roll into September, and the first few days are looking promising. September 1 has glassy conditions with a 2ft, 16-second period swell from the SW. It'll be small, but absolutely clean and glassy. Combined energy is 421, weak, but perfect for a longboard. Then September 2 sees a return of some size. The morning has a nice 5ft with offshore winds (combined energy 767, moderate), but the afternoon swell jumps to 10ft. Once again, that's too big for Raffs Beach and is best left to the experts.

Looking further ahead, September 3 has a solid 8ft in the morning with clean offshore wind, and the afternoon drops to a much better 7ft. That's a good window for experienced surfers. The water is still average temp, no big anomaly.

So, if you're hunting for the best of the bunch, aim for Sunday, August 23 for that powerful, clean groundswell. The backup is Monday, August 24 or the morning of September 3. The rest is either too big, too small, or blown out.

Stay stoked.
Rusty

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