Coxos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here. Let’s have a good hard look at what’s on the table for Coxos over the next couple of weeks. I’ll be straight with you – it’s a bit of a mixed bag, with some serious frustration early on, but there are a couple of windows that’ll make it all worth it if you time it right.

We’re starting off on Sunday the 23rd of August, and I’ll be honest, the first week is a tough one to swallow. The water’s come up a bit chilly at 66°F, about 3°F colder than normal for this time of year, so you’ll want a good wetsuit. Swell energy is moderate at 663, but with a screaming 22 mph southerly cross-off wind, the waves are a messy 6ft from the W. The report calls it poor, and I’m not arguing. Monday the 24th is even worse – solid 8ft of WSW windswell, but with 25 mph cross-shore winds and thunderstorm risk, that’s a hard pass. That trend of onshore junk and lumpy conditions pretty much nails us through Thursday the 27th. We get a tiny glimpse of hope on Tuesday morning the 25th with a light 6 mph cross-off, 5ft from the WNW, and the conditions look clean. That’s your only real chance in this first stretch, and it’s weak swell energy (209), period a short 7 seconds, but it’s rideable.

The real standout, the one you’ve been waiting for, is Friday morning the 28th of August. We get a proper pulse of groundswell: 12ft from the NW with a very long 12-second period and massive energy reading of 2894. The wind is offshore from the NW at a gentle 9 mph. Now, this is a serious, expert-only wave. Don’t even think about it if you’re not in the top tier. That size and power will be unruly, but for those with the skills, the Coxos reef will be putting on a show. The score is marginal, but that’s likely due to the size making it challenging. The light offshore wind will be a major positive for keeping it clean. After that, the wind swings cross-on again for the rest of the week, and while there’s still some energy around, the quality drops off a cliff.

Now, looking deeper into the second week, there’s a glimmer of hope way out on Sunday the 6th of September. The morning brings glassy conditions with the wind going completely calm, 0 mph from the SSW. Swell is a manageable 6ft from the NNW, with decent energy (528). Expect very good surf conditions. It’s a short period (7 seconds) so it’ll be a bit softer and more playful – a nice change from the monster earlier. The very long wait between those Friday sets and this Sunday session is tough, but that glassy window is a true gift. Then Monday the 7th of September morning looks interesting too, with light 6 mph cross-off winds, a solid 6ft from the NNW, and significantly more energy at 1126. But the period is still short (8 secs). After that, the wind turns cross and the swell gets weird with a 19-second period from the W – that’s a very long period that can be tricky on a reef, breaking a bit too straight if it’s not hitting the takeoff zone perfectly.

So the pick of the entire 16 days: Friday morning the 28th of August for the big, powerful, offshore groundswell, but only for experts. Your backup, and the better option if you want something you can actually session without fear, is the glassy Sunday morning of the 6th of September.

Stay safe out there.

- Rusty

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