Cowells Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Well, it’s not going to be a ripper of a fortnight for Cowells Cove. We’ve got a long window of small but rideable waves, mostly on the mellow side of things. The water temp is sitting at 62°F, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year – nothing too wild, but you might not need the full winter rubber straight away.

The first proper surf kicks off Friday morning, August 28th. It’s tiny – only 2ft from the SSW on a very long 17-second period (moderate energy of 382). That long period means the wave shape should be tidy for a point break like Cowells, but it’s small. The wind is glassy out of the north at 3 mph. Glassy conditions make anything look decent, so if you’re a beginner or just want a longboard cruise, it’s worth a paddle. The crowd factor is there though – this spot is often busy.

Friday afternoon sees the swell nudge up to 3ft from the same SSW direction, with the period stretching to 19 seconds and energy climbing (518). The wind swings to a clean offshore from the WNW at 9 mph, so it’ll be clean but still small.

Saturday morning, August 29th, the swell bumps up a touch to 4ft from the SSW, 18-second period, and energy is solid moderate (766). Light cross-offshore breeze from the WSW at 6 mph. Clean. It’s probably the best of the bunch for the first few days – still small enough for beginners, but with enough push for a fun shortboard if you’re lightweight.

Sunday August 30th rolls on with similar conditions: 4ft SSW swell early, then dropping to 3ft in the arvo, both with 15-16 second periods. Clean, light winds. Same goes for Monday August 31st morning – 3ft from the SSW at 14 seconds, cross-off breeze. Monday afternoon drops to 3ft and the “poor surf conditions” flag pops up – the energy is getting weaker (281).

From Tuesday September 1st through to about Wednesday September 9th, we’re in a stretch of mostly tiny, weak surf. There’s a little blip on Thursday September 3rd morning with 2ft from the SW, 19-second period, and energy of 552, but it’s still very ordinary. The wind stays favourable – mostly light or offshore – so it’s clean, just gutless. A few days in that run, like Tuesday morning September 1st, the wind is cross-shore, making ripples – not ideal.

The biggest gap in any real quality is from the 1st to the 3rd, and again around the 8th and 9th – days where the score is a zero and the waves are just too weak to get excited about.

There’s a little lift again around Friday September 11th morning – 3ft from the SW, 16-second period, moderate energy (500), with a slight air breeze from the WSW. It’s clean and surfable, but still not stand-out.

Honestly, the best on offer in this whole 16-day window is Saturday August 29th morning. That 4ft SSW swell with the very long period (18 seconds), light cross-offshore wind, and clean waves is the pick. It’s small, but it’s the biggest, cleanest, and most consistent looking period. If you’ve got a log or a mid-length, that’s your session.

After the 12th, it trails off again into small stuff. Nothing here for the charger crew – it’s a longboard and mini-mal stretch from start to finish.

Rusty.

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