Cottons Point Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty comin' at ya from the coast. The forecast is a bit of a mixed bag, but let's get into it.

We're looking at a stretch of small to moderate, long-period SSW groundswell for the next few days, but the wind is going to be a constant issue. The core of the swell looks like it's lining up for Cottons Point, a reef and point break that handles a south-west direction well. The water temp is sitting about average for this time of year, which is fine.

The best bet on offer is Sunday morning, July 26th. We've got a solid 4 ft of groundswell from the SW, with a very long 19-second period. The wind is a light 6 mph from the SSW, blowing straight onshore, which is a shame. The combined energy is moderate (942). It's a bit of a tease, because that swell has serious potential, but the onshore breeze will mess with the face. Still, it's the best quality we'll see for a while.

Monday and Tuesday, July 27th and 28th, keep the swell in the 4 ft to 4 ft range from the SSW, with a still-long 17-18 second period. The combined energy picks up to moderate (1147 and 1082). But the wind is a cross-onshore from the south, making it choppy and bumpy. The waves will have some push, but it won't be a clean, smooth ride.

By Wednesday and Thursday, July 29th and 30th, the swell dips a bit to 4 ft-4 ft, with the period dropping to 13-16 seconds. The cross-onshore wind continues, so it's still a workup. The afternoon of Thursday, July 30th, is the best of the bunch with a 4 ft, 15-second swell, but it's still cross-on.

Then we get a bit of a pulse. Friday, July 31st, the swell jumps up to 6 ft from the SSW, with a 14-second period. The combined energy is strong (1434). That's a big step up in power. But again, the wind is a cross-onshore, this time from the west at 9 mph, so it's going to be a messy, choppy affair. At 6 ft, it's getting too big for beginners.

The first weekend of August, the swell drops off fast. Saturday, August 1st, has a 5 ft swell from the SSW, but the period is down to 12 seconds, and the energy is fading (695). The wind is still onshore or cross-on. Sunday, August 2nd, the surf falls off a cliff. By Monday, August 3rd, we're looking at a long gap of seven days, from August 2nd through to August 9th, with nothing but poor surf conditions. Swell heights drop to 1 ft-3 ft, and the energy is weak (under 300). The wind is light, but there's just no swell to speak of. It's a flat spell, plain and simple.

The final day in the window, Monday, August 10th, we see a tiny pulse of 3 ft from the SSW with a 14-second period and a weak energy of 285. The wind is a light cross-onshore. It's a marginal improvement, but not enough to get excited about.

So, the standout is really the beginning: Sunday, July 26th, for the sheer quality of the long-period groundswell. If you're an expert, the bigger, messier swell on Friday, July 31st, might be worth a look for the power, but the wind is a deal-breaker for clean waves. The rest of the week is a write-off, with a long, flat spell from August 2nd onwards.

Rusty.

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