Dunedin - St Clair Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s happening at St-Clair for the next couple of weeks. It’s a mixed bag, with some serious size coming through, but you’ve gotta dodge the wind to get the good stuff.

First up, Sunday, August 30th: morning is the go. You’ve got a 6ft swell from the SSW with a long 16-second period—that’s a proper groundswell, packing a lot of energy (1417). Wind is moderate from the W at 16 mph, cross-offshore, so it’ll be clean enough. Water temp is about average for the season. The afternoon turns to crap with a 45 mph cross-wind and rain, so forget that.

Monday, September 1st and Tuesday, September 2nd bring huge swell, up to 13ft from the SSW, with periods of 12-13 seconds and energy readings off the charts (up to 8175). But the wind is howling at 22-28 mph from the WSW, making it cross-shore and lumpy. This is kite-surfing weather, not for us paddlers. Only for experts with a death wish.

Now here’s the standout: Wednesday, September 3rd. The morning has a big 7ft swell from the S (2212), but the wind is light from the NW at 6 mph—offshore and clean. The real gem is the afternoon: 7ft swell from the S, still 13 seconds, with a gentle 9 mph N offshore breeze. Clean conditions and solid energy (1305). This is the best of the first week. Crowds are possible, but this size will keep it less busy.

Thursday, September 4th morning is 13ft again, too big for the spot. The afternoon, though, is glassy: 5ft from the S, 10-second period, with a light 3 mph NNE breeze. That’s a dream session (557).

From Friday, September 5th, the swell drops fast. Friday morning has a tiny 2ft SSW swell with a very long 16-second period (342), clean but small and weak. The weekend is a mix of cross-offshore winds and tiny swell, between 2ft and 4ft. Monday, September 8th has a 3ft SSW swell, clean with light N wind, but not much push.

There’s a gap from around Friday, September 12th through Saturday, September 13th—small swell, strong winds, poor conditions. A real bummer for a few days.

Then Sunday, September 14th pops up as another highlight. Both morning and afternoon offer 4 to 4ft from the SSW, long 16-second period (863 and 923), with light offshore winds—NNW at 9 mph in the morning, and NW at 3 mph in the afternoon. Glassy and clean, this is the second standout, but it’s a week and a half out, so don’t lock it in yet.

Monday, September 15th finishes with a 4ft SSW swell, 15-second period, but wind picks up to 19 mph from the W, cross-offshore. It’s surfable but a bit of a fight.

St-Clair is a beach and point break exposed to the south, so it handles swell well. That long-period groundswell (over 15 seconds) can make the beach section a bit straight, so work the point for a better ride. Crowds are a factor on the good days.

Best bets: Wednesday, September 3rd afternoon and Thursday, September 4th afternoon in the first week, with Sunday, September 14th as a promising long-range option.

Rusty.

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