Cottons Point Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's get straight into what's on offer for the next couple of weeks.

Right now things are looking pretty average. There’s swell on the way but it’s coming with a lot of so-so conditions. The overall feeling is that we’re in for a run of marginal to poor surf, with only a few windows where things line up even a little.

Let’s start with Cottons Point (reef and point). Wednesday the 26th of August has some early morning S swell coming in around 4 ft with a 12-second period. The wind is light and onshore from the SSW, so it’s not going to be clean. The water is a very warm 72°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year. The combined energy is moderate (807), but honestly, the whole day is tagged as marginal with questionable tide conditions, so don’t get too excited. The afternoon is similar but with slightly less energy (668). This spot is consistent and can handle a SW swell, but the onshore wind is a buzzkill.

Thursday the 27th is more of the same: swell drops a touch to 4 ft from the S in the morning, but the wind swings cross-on from the SSW, putting small wind ripples on the face. By afternoon the wave height eases to 3 ft and the energy drops to 444. It’s looking poor.

Friday the 28th sees a much longer period groundswell from the SSW – 17 to 19 seconds – but the height is only around 2 ft to 3 ft. The combined energy bounces between 469 and 526, which is moderate, but that long period means those waves will be very inconsistent and better suited to this reef and point setup than a beach break. The wind stays cross-on, so it won’t be glassy.

Saturday the 29th is probably the best of a mediocre run. Morning sees 4 ft of SSW swell (17-second period) with onshore wind and energy at 784, and the afternoon holds at 4 ft (16-second period) with energy at 813. It’s still light cross-on though. This is the only session I’d even consider, but it’s marginal.

From Sunday the 30th right through to Tuesday the 1st of September, it’s a slow bleed. Heights sit around 3 ft to 5 ft, but the wind is often cross-on and the surf is consistently rated as poor or marginal. There’s a small bump on Tuesday afternoon with 5 ft from the S at 12 seconds, but energy is moderate (664) and the wind is cross-on.

Now, come Wednesday the 2nd of September, the swell picks up to 5 ft from the SSW with a 13-second period, and combined energy climbs to 860 in the morning. But the wind is cross-shore from the NW – and by afternoon, that wind cranks up to 19 mph from the WNW, with energy jumping to 1099. It’s fresh and lumpy. This is more of a kite-surfing setup than a fun paddle session at this exposed point.

Thursday the 3rd of September brings the biggest swell of the whole window: 7 ft from the SSW with 13-second period. Morning energy is 1245, afternoon hits 1386. That’s a powerful, moderate-to-strong swell. But it's cross to cross-on wind again. At 7 ft, this is getting into expert territory, and with the chop, it won’t be user-friendly. Still, it’s the most energy we see.

After that, from Friday the 4th through to Thursday the 10th of September, we drop back into the same pattern: tiny 2 ft to 4 ft SSW groundswells, often with cross-on winds. Nothing stands out. The periods are long (14 to 19 seconds) but the height is just too small to offer anything meaningful.

So the honest truth is, there’s no true standout in this 16-day window. If I had to point to one session, it would be Saturday morning the 29th of August – 4 ft at 17 seconds from the SSW, light onshore wind, moderate energy (784) – but even that’s a stretch. For the rest, you’re better off waiting for a better forecast.

Rusty.

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