Cowries Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright mate, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at the next couple of weeks for Cowries.

First thing to flag – the water temp is sitting at 64°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The pattern for the first week is pretty bleak. We’ve got a run of poor surf kicking off Tuesday morning (25th August) through Wednesday afternoon, with messy wind and small, weak swell. The wave energy is low, around 100 to 168, and the conditions just aren’t friendly. Thursday the 27th is only marginally better – a 6ft south swell with 9-second period, energy jumping to 507, but a cross shore wind messes it up. Friday morning the 28th shows some promise with clean conditions and a 5ft SSE swell, period 11 seconds, and moderate wave energy at 620. That’s about the best of the first week.

The standout for the whole period is Saturday morning the 29th of August. Clear skies, a light cross-offshore breeze from the south, and a solid 7ft south swell rolling in with an 8-second period. The wave energy is strong – 1146 – and it’s gonna be powerful. That said, at 7ft it’s pushing into bigger territory, so it’s more for experienced paddlers. The combination of size and clean wind makes this the session to point for.

Sunday morning the 30th is also nice – glassy conditions, a clean 3ft south swell, 9-second period, energy at 279. That’s a perfect small-wave window if you want an easy, clean paddle.

The middle of the week (31st Aug – 2nd Sept) drops right off. Tiny swell, often poor wind, and wave energy down to 150 or less. Not worth getting wet for.

Then, on Thursday the 3rd of September, we get another serious pulse. Thursday morning (3rd September) is the other standout. Cloudy, glassy wind, a 4ft SSE swell carrying a massive 20-second period. The energy is huge – 1687. This is proper groundswell, very long period, which means it’ll be super clean and powerful at this reef and point setup, but the sets will be spread out. It’s only for experienced surfers at this size and period. Thursday afternoon holds similar quality with a 5ft swell and energy at 1800.

After that, the following weekend (4th-5th Sept) drops back to marginal conditions with onshore or cross-onshore wind and moderate energy. The swell stays around 5-6ft but the wind isn’t your friend. Sunday the 6th afternoon sees a clean, moderate offshore wind from the WSW, with a 4ft south swell and 10-second period – that’s a rideable, clean afternoon.

The final few days (7th-9th Sept) are small and generally poor, though Monday morning the 7th has glassy 3ft surf if you’re desperate.

So, to sum it up: the first half of this stretch is mostly rubbish, with a real gem on Saturday morning the 29th, and then another proper groundswell window on Thursday the 3rd of September. Mark those two in your calendar.

Crowds are possible at Cowries, so keep that in mind for the standouts.

Rusty.

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