Cottons Point Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at the next couple of weeks at Cottons Point.

It’s a bit of a mixed bag coming up, not gonna lie. We’ve got a decent amount of swell on the cards, but the quality is often being let down by the winds and conditions. The water is feeling more like a warm bath than usual, with temps sitting at a very unusual 73° at the start; that’s much warmer than normal for this time of year.

The best window looks to be the first few days, starting Tuesday the 25th of August. We're seeing a clean 3 ft south swell pushing in with a solid 13-second period, and the wind is light and offshore out of the WSW. The combined energy is moderate at 484, but the sets will have some shape to them. It’s a reef and point setup, so that long period works well here.

Wednesday the 26th and Thursday the 27th hold the best bet for the whole period. Wednesday morning bumps up to a 4 ft south swell (period 12 seconds), with a light offshore breeze keeping it clean. The energy is a solid moderate 807. Thursday morning is similar at 4 ft, also 12 seconds, and again with light offshore wind (807 energy). These two mornings are your standouts. Afternoons get a little more mixed, with some clouds but still light winds.

Friday the 28th, the wind swings more cross-onshore and while we get a very long-period 17-second swell on Friday morning (3 ft), the conditions just look poor for a paddle. The energy is weak to moderate (488). Honestly, with that long-period swell and cross-onshore breeze, the setup at Cottons Point might be more interesting for the kite crew than us surfers.

We then go through a long stretch. From Saturday the 29th right through to Monday the 7th of September, it’s mostly marginal. The swell hangs around between 3 ft and 4 ft, but the winds are often cross-onshore, making it choppy. The energy stays in the moderate range, mostly between 408 and 807. There are a few windows on Saturday the 29th afternoon (4 ft, 16 sec, 807 energy) and Wednesday the 2nd of September morning (4 ft, 12 sec, 574 energy) with offshore winds, but they’re just not firing enough to call a standout. Expect a lot of sessions where you’re scratching for a decent one.

Then we get into the far outlook. Tuesday the 8th of September and beyond sees the swell drop further to a weak 2 ft to 2 ft, still with poor cross-onshore winds. But hold onto your board, because Wednesday the 9th of September has a pulse of long-range groundswell. The forecast shows a 6 ft south swell with a very long 16-second period in the afternoon, and the energy is strong at 2076. The problem? The wind is cross-onshore and 15 km/h. The raw power is there, but it’ll be a battle with the chop. It’s a promising but less certain late call for experienced surfers only, as the size is over 5 ft. For the rest of us, it’s more of a maybe.

Honestly, if you want clean waves, get on the Tuesday to Thursday (25th-27th of August) morning sessions. The rest of the run is a grind, but that early window is worth it. Crowds are sometimes an issue here, so getting out early is your best bet.

Rusty.

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