Cottons Point Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let's get down to it. This is Rusty, and here's the long-range look for your local stretch.

Honestly, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty flat and weak. We have a solid run of small surf, with the wind messing things up for the majority of it. Don't get your hopes up, but there is a tiny glimmer of something rideable in the back half.

The stand-out, if you can call it that, is really just a session or two where conditions line up. We're talking small, but clean. For the majority of this forecast, the waves just aren't there.

Okay, let's break it down. Right now, and through the 15th, there's really nothing surfable. The swell is tiny, under 2ft, and the wind is mostly cross-onshore, making it messy. The combined energy is weak, sitting in the low to mid 200s. You're better off staying home.

Wednesday the 16th and Thursday the 17th see a slight bump in energy, but the surf is still marginal. You're looking at a bit of a south-southwest swell pushing in at around 3ft. The swell period is a long 16 seconds, so there's a touch of groundswell, but the wind is just not cooperating, with light onshores killing any chance of true clean conditions. It's a wait-and-see game.

The weekend of the 19th and 20th is much the same. The swell stays around 3ft to 3ft, with the energy starting to build – we're seeing numbers in the 500s and even a 655 on Sunday afternoon. That's moderate energy. The swell direction is from the southwest, which is what we want, but the wind is still onshore. There might be the odd one out at Cottons Point (Coffs Harbour) if the tide lines up, but it's not looking like a classic.

The following week, from the 22nd through the 26th, the onshores are more persistent, and the swell starts to fade and get shorter period. It's a poor outlook, with plenty of cross-onshore wind and bumpy waves.

There's a chance for a cleaner window on the morning of the 29th of September when the wind goes light and onshore, but we're only talking about 2ft of swell. The energy does pick up to 425, but it's still a marginal call.

So, what have we got? The only time I'd even suggest getting your feet wet is for a dawn patrol session on Thursday the 17th or Sunday the 20th, when the light winds might make the most of the small, clean lines. It's all about taking what you can get. The waves might be small, but they could be fun on the inside if you've got a longboard.

The water is a very notable 73° here, which is a solid 6° warmer than normal for this time of year – that's a real anomaly, so you'll be surfing in boardshorts or a spring suit. The long-period nature of the swell over the weekend means it might be a bit straight at the beach breaks, but being a reef and point, Cottons handles it better.

Just remember, the longer-range stuff is promising but less certain. Keep an eye on the charts, but don't get your hopes up too high.

This is Rusty, signing off.

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