Cocoa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight: the next 16 days look pretty average for Cocoa. We’ve got a consistent reef break that’s exposed to the swell, but the wind and swell direction are working against us. The water’s sitting at 84°, which is about normal for this time of year.

We kick off Thursday, 20 August with a clean-ish morning, but that’s about all it’s got. The swell is coming from the east at 6 ft, with a short period of 7 seconds and moderate energy (311). Problem is, the wind is cross-off from the east at 19 mph, pushing through the wave face. It’s not gonna be a good time. The rest of Thursday and Friday stay similar – east swell around 4 ft to 5 ft, still that short period, and the wind stays cross-off but fresh. Saturday and Sunday don’t offer much either; the swell drops a bit, period stays short, and we’ve got some rumbles of thunderstorms.

Monday, 24 August sees the swell bump up slightly to 6 ft by the afternoon, still east and short period, with energy climbing to 397 – moderate, but still messy with that fresh cross-off wind. Tuesday, 25 August is where it gets a little more interesting. We see a jump: 8 ft on the morning, period stretching to 10 seconds, and combined energy hitting 946 (strong). That’s a proper groundswell, but the wind switches to a cross breeze in the afternoon, making it lumpy. Still, that morning might be the best of a bad bunch for the first week – clean, good size, but the east direction isn’t ideal for this reef which likes a northerly angle.

After that, it drops back. Wednesday, 26 August is smaller and cross-onshore for the arvo – not worth paddling out. Thursday, 27 August through to the end of the month are all low-energy days under 5 ft with short periods and moderate to fresh winds. Some mornings are clean, but the swell’s weak.

The standout in the whole run is Saturday, 29 August. The morning shows 10 ft of east swell, period 9 seconds, and combined energy at a whopping 1657 (very strong). That’s a big, powerful swell. But – and it’s a big but – it’s coming from the east, right into the wind direction. The morning is clean with cross-off wind at 16 mph, so it could be a heavy, challenging day at Cocoa. At over 8 ft, this is for experts only. The afternoon settles to 7 ft, still strong energy at 813. If you’re experienced, get on that morning session on Saturday, 29 August, but expect it to be thick and take your pick. Sunday, 30 August drops off significantly to 6 ft and the wind goes cross, so that’s your window closing.

The first week of September starts flat again. Monday, 1 September through Friday, 4 September sees consistent but small east swell, maxing out at 6 ft on the Friday afternoon, with short periods and moderate energy around 200-300. The wind stays cross-off, so it’ll be clean but tiny. Not much to get excited about.

So, the call: don’t waste your time on the first week. The only real shot is Tuesday, 25 August morning for something with a bit of punch, and definitely Saturday, 29 August morning for the big stuff – but that’s expert territory. The rest is small, short-period mush with unfavourable winds. A few clean mornings will be good for a cruise but nothing memorable.

Stay frothy,
Rusty

Read more