Cottons Point Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get real here. The forecast for Cottons Point is a tough one. We’re looking at a 16-day window that starts with a bit of a surf tease on Thursday afternoon, July 30th, but it’s really not worth getting excited about.

The first pulse of swell shows up on the 30th with a 3ft SSW swell. It’s got some decent period at 15 seconds, which is a proper groundswell, and that’s a good thing. But the wind is coming from the WSW at 6 mph, which puts it right on the nose—cross-on. That’s going to mess with the shape. The water is a wild 74°, which is a huge 7° above normal for this time of year, so it’s feeling like a bath out there. The combined energy is moderate (683), but the wave comment says it all: “marginal surf forecast.” This is the best the whole window has to offer, and it’s a 1 out of 10 scenario. It’s not a standout in any way, really just a heads-up that something’s happening.

From Friday morning, July 31st, into Saturday, August 1st, the swell drops. Friday morning has a 4ft SSW swell (646 energy), but it’s still a “marginal” call, and by Saturday afternoon we’re down to 3ft and the comment changes to “poor surf conditions.” The wind stays light and mostly offshore, which would normally be a huge plus, but the swell is just too weak and inconsistent to make anything of it.

After that, from Sunday, August 2nd, all the way through to the end of the forecast on August 14th, the outlook is grim. The swell heights hover between 1ft and 3ft, the period bounces around, and the wind is a constant mix of light offshore or light cross-on. The combined energy drops into the low hundreds (124 to 199), and every single day from August 2nd onwards gets slapped with “poor surf conditions.” There’s a glimmer of a longer period swell on the 7th with a 19-second period (454 energy), but it’s a tiny 2ft, so it’s just not enough to push through. The first week of August is a total write-off.

The second week (from August 7th onward) has a few small pulses from the SSW with decent periods, but the heights stay under 3ft and the wind stays irritatingly cross-on. There’s a bit of a shift on August 13th where the wind goes cross-shore (WNW at 9 mph), but the swell is only 3ft, and the comment is still “marginal.” It’s not going to save the week.

Honestly, there’s no standout session here. The only possible time to get wet is that Thursday afternoon, July 30th, but you’d be fighting a cross-on wind for a 3ft wave that’s barely breaking. It’s a real bummer, but that’s the forecast. The break is consistent, but the swell just isn’t cooperating. It’s a reef and point setup, so it can handle bigger swells, but we’re not getting them. For a beginner, this is all too small, and for an expert, there’s nothing to ride. If you’re a kite surfer, the light wind might be a chuckle, but for a paddle, it’s a no-go.

Rusty

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