Cobden Beach - The Channel Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Cobden Beach - The Channel. The overall pattern is pretty clear: we’re about to see a big, powerful pulse of Westerly swell roll in, but it’ll be a case of too much of a good thing for a few days. The early part of the outlook is mostly a write-off for normal surfing, but there are some sweet, clean windows later on that’ll get the stoke going.

The first proper surf we can get into arrives on Friday afternoon, July 3rd. We’re looking at a clean 4ft swell from the WNW, with a period of 10 seconds. Onshore from the ENE is a light cross-off breeze, so it’ll be tidy. The combined energy of all swells is a moderate 314, which says there’s some push but nothing too wild. The water temp is 56°, which is pretty average for the time of year, so a standard wettie will do.

Now, Saturday July 4th sees a big ramp up. We get an 8ft, 11-second WNW swell on Saturday morning, but the combined swell energy jumps to a very strong 2086. The problem is the wind swings to a 16 mph cross-shore from the NNE, making it rough. The swell keeps building, hitting a massive 12ft and 4597 of energy by the afternoon. This is serious, expert-only territory, if even that. The size and the cross-chop will make paddle surfing a real battle.

Sunday July 5th is another one of those days where you might just want to watch. Morning sees a 5ft W swell with onshore wind and a poor, choppy look. The whole day is rated poor. The afternoon does get glassy, with an 8ft WNW swell and a glassy surface, but again, the combined energy is a strong 1952, putting it well over the mark for most surfers.

Monday July 6th continues the theme of colossal swell. We’re talking a 10ft swell from the West on Monday morning, with a very long 16-second period and an energy of 4213. It’s clean under a cross-off SSE breeze, but that’s a proper big-wave setup. The afternoon holds at 8ft with a 15-second period. If you’re a highly experienced charger with the right quiver, there will be some massive, clean faces out there, but for 99% of us, it’s a spectator sport.

The standout session, and the one to really get the heart pumping, arrives on Tuesday July 7th. Tuesday afternoon, we’ve got a 5ft swell from the WSW, clean as a whistle with a true offshore wind from the SE blowing at 9 mph. The period is a juicy 14 seconds, giving lots of groundswell power in a manageable size. The combined energy is 754, which is perfect for The Channel. The swell direction (WSW) lines up perfectly with the optimum for the spot. This will be a clean, rippable afternoon.

Later in the week, on Thursday July 9th, is another excellent bet. The afternoon delivers a 5ft WSW swell with a moderate offshore blast from the ESE at 12 mph, keeping faces clean. The period is 14 seconds and the energy is 1458. Another fantastic window.

Looking further ahead into the second week, there are some promising but less certain calls. Friday July 10th afternoon looks super clean with a small 3ft WSW swell and glassy conditions, and even smaller clean surf hangs around through to Monday July 14th. Then on Tuesday July 15th afternoon, we get a 6ft N swell that goes glassy, marked as excellent for experienced surfers. That could be a sneaky good session if the swell direction works out for the break.

So to wrap it up: the best on offer is Tuesday July 7th afternoon, with clean 5ft WSW groundswell and pure offshore wind. The second standout is Thursday July 9th afternoon for similar reasons, just a touch bigger. The rest of the first week is mostly too big or messy.

Rusty.

Read more