Southerndown Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for Southerndown over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – it’s a tough run.

The overall pattern is pretty grim for most of the period. We’ve got a long stretch of poor surf conditions, with a lot of onshore wind and choppy, bumpy water. The only real glimmers of something rideable are a couple of mornings where the wind drops out or goes light offshore, but even then the swell is small and unexciting. There’s a gap of several days with no real recommendations from the 9th right through to the 14th, so don’t bother checking the cam.

For the first bit of action, we’re looking at Tuesday morning, the 15th of September. Southerndown is the only break in the game here. It’ll be glassy, with a slight air moving across the surface, and the swell is a tiny 3 ft from the WSW. The combined energy is weak (81). It’s surfable, but only just. You’ll be on a log or a longboard, scratching into anything you can. The water temperature is 67°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – over 5°F warmer, so that’s a real standout. Don’t need a thick wetsuit, that’s for sure. Crowds are *sometimes* an issue here, but on a day like this you’ll probably have it to yourself. It’s a beginner-friendly break, fairly consistent, and exposed to the SW swell. The wind is offshore (NE) and light, so it’ll be clean.

Then we skip forward again. The next morning that’s worth a mention is Wednesday the 16th of September. Southerndown shows a little more life. The swell is 4 ft from the W, with a period of 7 seconds, and the combined energy picks up to a moderate 216. The wind is offshore from the NNE at 9 mph, so it’s clean. It’s still only a “surfable but very ordinary” kind of day. The swell is a bit short-period, so it won’t have much grunt – more of a shortboard grovel than a proper wave.

Now, for the real standout of the whole forecast – and I’m saying this with a cautious eye because it’s over a week away – is the 19th of September, Saturday. The swell jumps up to 6 ft from the W, with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy spikes to a strong 464. That’s proper wave energy. But here’s the catch: the wind is onshore from the WSW at 12-15 mph, and the conditions are rated as “poor surf conditions” and “unknown” for the morning, and “moderate cross-onshore and choppy” for the afternoon. This is a case of a lot of swell but messy, blown-out surf. For a beach break like Southerndown, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The swell is over 5 ft, which is a bit much for beginners, and it’s too messy for most. Only experts might find something in the troughs, but honestly, it’s not going to be pretty.

The 20th of September, Sunday, is similar – 6 ft from the W, strong energy (474), but again cross-onshore wind and lumpy. The same kite-surfing caveat applies.

We get another clean window on Tuesday the 22nd of September. Southerndown in the morning is glassy with a NE wind at 3 mph. The swell is 4 ft from the WSW, period of 7 seconds, and combined energy of 118 (moderate). It’s another “surfable but very ordinary” call. The wind is 3 mph from the NE, so it’s basically glass. Clean, small, and fun for a longboard if you’re desperate. But it’s not going to be a day you remember.

Beyond that, we’ve got a few days of tiny, clean, cross-offshore wind conditions from the 23rd to the 24th, but the swell drops to 0.9 ft to 2 ft – not worth paddling out for.

To sum it up: the best on offer is the morning of the 16th of September (Wednesday) for the cleanest conditions with a bit of size, and the morning of the 22nd of September (Tuesday) for a glassy, small-wave session. The big swell on the 19th and 20th is a lot of water but a messy, windy mess. Don’t get your hopes up for anything epic. The first week is a write-off. Long-range, the 19th has potential, but it’s far out and the wind is against it.

Stay patient, keep an eye on the wind shifts, and the glassy mornings might just give you a window.

Rusty.

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