Cottons Point Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Look, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it – the next week or so is a bit of a struggle for Cottons Point. We've got a long stretch of pretty average conditions before we see any real potential.

The opening window, from Wednesday 8th July through to at least the middle of the following week, is largely a write-off. The swell is consistently small, between 1ft and 4ft, and it's coming from the SSW. The real killer is the wind. For day after day, it's a cross-onshore breeze, which is putting a chop on the surface and making things messy. The wave energy is moderate at best, but it's just not translating into anything rideable. The water temp is sitting at 68°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

A couple of mornings on the 12th and 13th (Sunday and Monday) see an offshore wind, but the swell is tiny at 3ft, and the period is short, so it's not doing much. The standouts are really nowhere to be seen for the first ten days.

Then we get a little glimmer. On Saturday 18th July, the morning session looks like the best we've seen in a while. The wind goes glassy, with a light 3 mph breeze from the west, and the swell pushes up to 3ft from the SW at a very long 18 seconds. That's a groundswell, and it'll have some real energy. This is the kind of clean, lined-up wave that makes Cottons shine. The afternoon holds offshore conditions too, with a similar 3ft SW swell.

Now, the real standout of the entire 16-day forecast is the following Sunday, 19th July. The morning sees a solid 5ft swell from the S, with a period of 16 seconds. The wave energy jumps up, and while the wind is a light cross-onshore, this is the biggest, most powerful swell we've seen. This is good for experienced surfers, as it's over 5ft, making it a bit much for beginners. The afternoon holds a similar 5ft S swell, still with good energy. After that, it backs off a bit, but we get a few more days of 3ft to 4ft SSW swell with light winds, which will offer some clean, though smaller, options.

So, to sum it up: the first ten days are a bit of a drought. Don't bother. Saturday 18th July morning is the pick for clean, glassy conditions on a smaller swell. But the big one to circle is Sunday 19th July – that's the day the ocean really wakes up with a solid S swell. It's a bit of a wait, but it's worth it.

Rusty.

Read more