Cowries Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s on offer at Cowries. This is a reef and point set-up, and it’s fairly consistent, but we’ve got a bit of a slow start here. The first decent recommendation doesn’t come until Thursday the 17th of September, so we’re looking at a few quiet days before things kick off.

The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing too wild.

The best of the lot shapes up to be Thursday the 17th in the morning. We’ve got a solid 7 ft SSE swell rolling in, and the wind is a light cross-off from the SSW at just 6 mph, so it’ll be clean. The combined energy is moderate (835), and the period is 10 seconds, which gives some decent shape. This is the standout – a proper session on the cards.

Friday the 18th morning is another good one, with 4 ft SSE swell and glassy conditions – wind is dead calm from the east at 3 mph. The energy is moderate (355), and the period is 9 seconds. That’s a clean, fun-sized wave for a relaxed paddle.

Tuesday the 22nd morning is also worth a mention. We’ve got 5 ft SSE swell, glassy wind from the south at 3 mph, and combined energy of 663 (moderate). A solid option for a clean session.

Now, the rest of the window is pretty average. The swell jumps up to 10 ft on Wednesday the 16th, but the wind is a fresh cross-off from the SSW at 19 mph, making it messy and tough. That’s expert-only territory, and even then, the quality is questionable.

Later in the second week, from the 23rd onwards, the wind turns mostly cross-on or onshore, and the swell drops off. The period gets longer (12 seconds on the 23rd), but with the wrong wind, it’s just not worth paddling out. The combined energy is low to moderate (267 to 299), and the conditions are choppy.

There’s a bit of a gap from the 20th to the 21st where it’s almost flat or just too messy, but then the 22nd gives us that glassy window. After that, it’s a long stretch of poor conditions right through to the end of the month. A few mornings on the 29th and 30th have clean cross-off wind, but the swell is tiny (3 ft to 4 ft), so it’s more of a longboard cruise than anything exciting.

So, overall, Thursday the 17th morning is the one to aim for – best swell, clean wind, and moderate energy. Friday the 18th morning and Tuesday the 22nd morning are solid back-ups. The rest is a write-off.

Rusty.

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