Cottons Point Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a good, hard look at the 16-day outlook for Cottons Point. This is a reef and point setup, and it's a consistent spot that's exposed to the SW swell window. The water temps are sitting around 72°, which is 4° above the long-term average for this time of year. That’s much warmer than normal, so if you’re heading out, you might not need that thick wetsuit.

Right off the bat, I gotta tell you, the first week and a half is pretty grim. From Wednesday morning the 19th right through to the end of next week, there’s nothing really worth paddling out for. The swell is small, the wind is mostly cross-onshore or onshore, and the energy is weak. The combined swell energy barely gets into the low hundreds (451 on Wednesday morning, then dropping quickly). The surf is tiny, around 2 ft to 3 ft, with a mix of SSW and SW swells, but the periods are a bit long for the size, often 14 to 19 seconds. That groundswell is there, but it’s just not got enough height to do anything at a point break. It’s a long stretch of marginal to poor conditions. We’re looking at about a 10-day gap here with nothing of note.

Now, if you’re patient, there’s a flicker of hope. Moving into the second week, on Saturday the 29th of August, things start to look a little more interesting. The morning shows a bit more juice: the swell picks up to 4 ft from the SSW, with a 17-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 882 (moderate). The wind is light and cross-onshore, so it’s not glassy, but it’s manageable. The swell direction is right in the optimum SW window for the break. This is the best session on offer, and it’s really the only standout in the whole 16-day run. The afternoon on the 29th is similar, with 4 ft swell and 879 energy, but a gentle breeze makes it a bit choppier.

The Sunday the 30th morning still shows some 4 ft SSW swell with 660 energy, but the wind remains cross-onshore. It’s not perfect, but it’s surfable. After that, the swell slowly fades back down into the 3 ft to 1 ft range, and the energy drops off, with the wind staying cross-onshore for the rest of the run. There’s a brief bit of rain showers on Thursday the 3rd of September, but the swell is too small.

So, to sum it up: if you’re itching for a wave, your best bet is Saturday the 29th of August. The morning will be the cleanest of the bunch, with that 4 ft groundswell and decent energy. The rest of the window is a write-off. Don’t expect much, but if you’re keen, that Saturday morning is your moment.

Rusty.

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