Cowries Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right. Rusty here. Let’s cut through it.

Look, Cowries is the only spot on the table, and it’s a reef-and-point setup that’s fairly exposed. Thing is, it’s a beginner-friendly wave, but “fairly consistent” doesn’t mean much when the whole 16-day window is a flat spell with a few tiny blips. Water temp is sitting at 64° – bang on normal for this time of year. No drama there, but you’ll be waiting a long while for anything worth paddling out for.

From now through the rest of August and into the first week of September, it’s a grim stretch. Days and days of piddly waist-high slop and junk wind. A couple of mornings – like Friday the 14th morning – go glassy with 3ft from the south, but the period is short (8 secs) and the energy is weak, only 194 (moderate energy level, but barely). Still, glassy conditions at a point break mean you could get a few clean little peelers if you’re desperate. Not a standout by any stretch. Then Saturday the 15th morning shows a pulse of 5ft from the south, period 8 secs, cross-off wind from the south, and energy climbs to 354 – that’s moderate energy, and the winds keep it clean. That’s the only half-decent window in the first week. Still, it’s ordinary; score is low, not a standout.

Then the second week – more of the same. Small, short-period junk. A few mornings like Friday the 21st offer light offshore from the west with 3ft from the east-northeast, period 8 secs, energy 113 (weak). Clean but tiny. Even the morning of Saturday the 22nd goes glassy with 3ft from the east-northeast, but period 10 secs, energy 156 (moderate). Conditions are glassy, but the swell is barely there. Not worth a trip.

The only true standout is buried way out in the forecast. On Thursday the 27th of August, late in the window, Cowries gets a solid pulse – 8ft on the Thursday morning from the south, period 9 secs, light offshore from the southwest. Energy rockets to 1177 – that’s very strong wave energy. This is big for a beginner spot, over 8ft – experts only. The afternoon jumps to 10ft from the south, but winds turn cross-onshore, which will chop it up. Still, that Thursday morning is the best on offer, but it’s a long-range promise, and you know how that goes – keep an eye on it, but don’t book the week off.

Overall, this is a bleak outlook. If you’re jonesing, the glassy Friday 14th morning or the clean Saturday 15th morning might give you a couple of rides, but don’t expect much. For the rest, it’s a long wait to that big swell at the very end. Honestly, if the wind stays strong and the swell is messy, this setup could be more interesting for the kite crew than paddle surfers.

Rusty.

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