Raffs Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with the outlook for Raffs Beach.

We’ve got a bit of a wait on our hands, with the first week of the forecast period starting on Tuesday, August 11th, offering up some building swell but nothing that’s quite ready to fire. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing weird going on there. We'll see some cleaner conditions start to shape up as we head into the second half of the week and the weekend, but the real standout window is going to be mid-week next week.

For the most part, the early action is frustrating. On Tuesday the 11th, we've got a 4 ft SW swell at 14 seconds, but the 12 mph NW cross-off wind and questionable tides make it a no-go for anything decent. The energy is reading 811, which is weak. Wednesday the 12th sees pulses building to 10 ft by the afternoon with wild energy (7358), but that's way too much juice for the lineup. That’s expert territory, and even then, the wind is cross, not offshore. Thursday the 13th is similar, with the 10 ft swell maxing out in the morning, but by the afternoon it backs off to a still-juicy 8 ft with light cross-off winds from the WNW – that's your first real chance for a clean session for the more experienced crew. We're looking at a very long period groundswell from the SW here (16 seconds), so expect long lulls between sets but proper power when they come through. The energy is still strong at 3349.

Friday the 14th is onshore junk, and the weekend the 15th and 16th is mostly onshore and choppy. Sunday the 16th morning cleans up nicely with a glassy cross-off from the ENE and a 5 ft SW swell – that’s a solid, clean option (1029 energy) for the experienced surfer, but the crowds here can be an issue.

Now, the best period of the whole run. Starting on Monday the 17th, the swell drops to 4 ft, but the real gold is from Wednesday the 19th through Saturday the 22nd. Wednesday the 19th morning is a gem: clean, light offshore wind from the NNE with a 3 ft SW swell. It's a small day but the conditions are perfect. That trend holds. Thursday morning August 20th is the absolute standout – glassy conditions, a 2 ft SW groundswell (91 energy), but it’s that total stillness that makes it a dream for a longboard or a funboard. And then Saturday August 22nd is the pick of the bunch for size and power combined with quality. We get a 3 ft WSW swell, that’s a slightly better direction for the beach, but the real story is the moderate offshore wind from the NNE at 12 mph. The energy (533) is moderate but will be well shaped. This is clean, lined-up, and with the offshore wind holding all session, it'll be a rippable fun wave. Saturday afternoon looks equally good with a moderate offshore and clean conditions. If I had to pick one day to book off work, it’s that Saturday.

After that, Sunday the 23rd holds similar size but the wind picks up strong, making it a bit blown out. The following week drops off significantly with poor conditions and smaller swell.

For the beginners out there, stick to the smaller windows around Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th when it’s below 3 ft and glassy – anything over 5 ft later on (like Friday the 14th or the 9 ft+ days earlier) will be too much.

Rusty signing off.

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