Cottons Point Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming our way down at Cottons Point. We’ve got a 16-day window, and it’s a bit of a slow burner, but there’s some promise on the horizon.

Right off the bat, the water is sitting at a very warm 72°, a massive 5° above the norm for this time of year, so the wetsuit might feel a touch thicker than you’d expect.

The first week is pretty ordinary. We’re looking at a consistent run of small, cross-onshore slop. Monday the 20th through to the end of July is mostly three to four-foot range, with the wind messing things up. The combined energy is moderate, sitting in the 500-900 range, but a persistent cross-offshore breeze keeps things bumpy and the wave comment is “marginal” or “poor.” Not the kind of stuff that gets you out of bed early. The swell is a mix of long-period groundswell from the SSW (14-16 seconds), which is nice energy, but it’s not finding the right angle, and the wind just isn’t cooperating.

Things start to get a little more interesting around the 25th of July. The morning of Saturday the 25th shows a pulse of solid energy – combined energy hit 1017 – with a very long 21-second period from the SW. The wind is light and offshore from the WSW. This is a real groundswell, and it’s going to be clean. The sets will be few and far between, but when they come, there’ll be some real push. The 3-foot face height is likely a bit bigger on the sets. This is a promising period, but it’s a one-off, and the afternoon goes back to a cross-breeze.

The real standout, the one you want to circle on the calendar, is the first few days of August. Friday the 31st of July afternoon kicks things off: a solid 6-foot swell from the S, with a combined energy of 1398. The wind is light and cross-on, but it’s still pretty clean. Then Saturday the 1st of August is the pick of the whole outlook. The morning sees a 7-foot S swell at 14 seconds, with a combined energy of 1582, and the wind is offshore from the SW. That’s punchy, powerful, and clean. That’s a proper crew’s-only session – too big for the beginners, but for the experienced, it’s game on. The afternoon holds at 6 feet with offshore winds, making for a full day of it.

After that, it drops off quickly. The 2nd and 3rd of August see the swell fade and the wind goes cross-on again, returning to the small, bumpy stuff we saw in the first week.

So, the long and short of it: Cottons Point is a reef and point setup, and it’s consistent, but it’s not showing its best form this fortnight. The first week is a write-off. The standout is the Saturday the 1st of August session – that’s the one to aim for. Sunday the 26th of July morning also has a glimmer, but it’s smaller. The rest is just waiting for a better swell.

Rusty.

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