Cowries Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Cowries over the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, starting off, it’s not pretty. The first few days are pretty grim. Tuesday and Wednesday of this week are a write-off with messy onshore slop and poor surf conditions, despite a bit of clean-looking wind. The real story begins Thursday morning, 13 August. It’s not firing, but the early session sees a 4 ft S swell with a short 8-second period and light offshore wind from the SW. The wave energy is moderate (266). It’s surfable but very ordinary. The afternoon picks up a bit, with 6 ft S swell and the same short period, but the wind turns cross-shore and the energy jumps to 761 moderate. It’s still only a marginal call.

Friday morning 14 August is your best early bet. Glassy conditions with a light SSW breeze, and a 3 ft S swell coming in at 8 seconds. The combined energy is weak (159), so it’s not going to be pumping, but it’ll be clean and fun for a beginner-friendly reef and point break. This is one of the few standouts in the first week – small, clean, and no crowds to worry about. The southerly swell direction is a bit off the optimum ENE, but with the glassy surface, it’ll offer a few rideable lines.

After that, the weekend and start of next week turn average again. Saturday and Sunday see some 5-5 ft S swell, but the wind swings onshore or cross-off with moderate breezes, and the consistency is poor. The energy stays around 244-300 moderate, but the wave quality is low. Then Monday 17 August pushes up to 7 ft SE swell, still short period at 8 seconds. That’s getting into beginner-challenging territory, but the cross-shore wind and ordinary conditions don’t make it worth a paddle out.

The pattern continues with more of the same through Tuesday 18 August and Wednesday 19 August – moderate energy (299-446), short period swell, and mostly cross or cross-off winds. Nothing to get excited about.

The real standout doesn’t appear until late in the period. Look at Tuesday 25 August afternoon. That’s still over a week away, so treat it as promising but not locked in. An 8 ft SSE swell, short period at 8 seconds, but combined energy is strong at 971. The wind is cross-off from the S at 12 mph, keeping things clean. This is squarely in expert-only territory – too big for beginners. The swell direction is a little off the optimum ENE, but when you’ve got that much energy and clean conditions, Cowries reef and point will handle it fine, especially with that period keeping the waves lined up.

The following morning, Wednesday 26 August, holds a similar 8 ft ESE swell with a light NNW cross-shore breeze and energy at 873 strong. Again, only for experienced surfers. The period is still short at 8 seconds, so it’ll be punchy rather than drawn-out.

Overall, the pick is Friday 14 August morning for small clean waves, and the real punch comes on Tuesday 25 August afternoon and Wednesday 26 August morning for the experts.

Rusty.

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