Cottons Point Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve got a long look ahead for the next sixteen days. Honestly, it’s a flat spell with a few flickers of life, but not much to get the heart racing. The only break on the radar is Cottons Point, a reef and point setup that’s consistent and exposed to the SW swell. The water’s sitting at 75°F – that’s much warmer than normal for this time of year, which is a weird bonus if you’re just having a paddle.

We’ve got a stretch of weak surf right from the start. Friday the 7th morning kicks off with a tiny 2ft SSW swell, but the wind is a light cross-onshore, and the whole thing feels marginal. The combined wave energy is moderate (449), but it’s not doing you any favours. That morning window is the best of a bad bunch – it’s the only one with a half-decent score, and even then, it’s not great. The rest of Friday and all of Saturday, Sunday, and Monday are a write-off: poor conditions, choppy, or just messy winds. The swell is small, under 3ft, and the period is long (15-19 seconds), which is a proper groundswell, but at this size, it’s just not breaking with any punch.

The first real standout – and I mean the only one worth a look – is Friday morning the 7th. That 2ft SSW swell with a 19-second period is coming in clean with a light WSW breeze. The energy is moderate (449), and it’s the only time the wind is light enough to keep things tidy. It’s a small-wave day, best for logs or a mid-length, and the long period means the sets will be spaced out, making it easy to get out the back. The break is a reef and point, which handles long-period swell well, so it won’t just close out. That morning is your window.

After that, it’s a long, grim run. Saturday the 8th through to the end of the second week is mostly poor surf, with gusts of 9 mph cross-onshore and choppy faces. There’s a tiny bump in size on the 15th and 16th, with swell hitting 4ft, but the wind is still cross-onshore, and the quality is garbage. The combined energy climbs to 762, which is moderate, but it’s wasted on messy conditions. The long-period swell (14-16 seconds) is there, but without clean wind, it’s just a wash.

For beginners, the surf never gets above 5ft, so it’s not too big, but it’s also not clean enough to learn on. The period is mostly long, which means the waves will have shape, but the cross-onshore wind will make them crumble. The 22nd of August shows a slight uptick in energy (581) with a light offshore wind in the morning, but it’s still marginal. Honestly, if you’re keen, Friday morning the 7th is the only call. The rest of the run is a waiting game. Keep your eyes on the charts – it tends not to stay this flat for long.

Rusty.

Read more