Cottons Point Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into what’s cooking for the next couple of weeks.

We’ve got a real mixed bag coming up, with a solid pulse of energy kicking things off this weekend, but then a long, drawn-out lull settles in. The water is sitting at a toasty 74°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year, so you can leave the thick wetsuit at home if you’ve got a shorty.

Cottons Point is the only show in town, and it fires up on Sunday the 6th. Sunday morning is the standout. We’re looking at a meaty 6ft of swell from the south, with a long period of 14 seconds. That’s proper groundswell energy, and the combined wave energy is pumping at a strong 1304 (that’s the three-digit number for you). The wind is a clean cross-off from the NNW at 9 mph, which is going to keep the faces nice and lined up. This is excellent surf for experienced surfers – at 6ft, it’s a bit much for the groms. Sunday afternoon holds up well too, with the wind shifting to a perfect offshore from the NNE at 12 mph, and the swell still a solid 5ft. The energy is still high at 1284. This is the best window, hands down.

Monday the 7th is still rideable, but the quality drops. The morning has 6ft of SSW swell with a 13-second period, but the wind goes cross-shore from the WNW, introducing a bit of chop. The energy is still moderate at 1109, but it’s not as clean as Sunday. By the afternoon, the wind picks up and the chop gets worse.

From Tuesday the 8th onwards, it’s a long grind. The swell drops off hard, and the wind turns mostly cross-onshore or onshore, which is going to chop up whatever small waves are left. There’s a brief flicker of hope on Thursday the 10th with a very long-period 17-second swell from the SW, but it’s only 3ft and the wind is cross-onshore, so it’s marginal at best. The energy drops to moderate levels in the 400-700 range.

Honestly, from Tuesday through to the end of the forecast on the 21st of September, it’s a tough stretch. There’s a lot of swell in the 2ft to 3ft range, with periods that are either too short or too long for the conditions, and the wind is never really in our favour. The energy levels are weak for most of the second week. For a consistent spot like this, it’s a real bummer of a run. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing for most of those days.

So, the call is easy: Sunday the 6th is your day. Get out there in the morning for the best of it.

Rusty.

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