Coxos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on offer for Coxos.

Honestly, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for a proper paddle. The opening days are a write-off with poor conditions and messy cross-shore winds. There’s a pulse of swell arriving around the 28th of August, but even then the wind is a problem. The best chance of anything decent looks like it might be the afternoon of the 28th, but it’s a long way off and the wind is not in our favour.

The first real possibility of a surf appears on Saturday afternoon, 22 August. Coxos is a fairly consistent advanced reef break, and it’s exposed to a NNW swell. The swell is 4 ft from the NNW with a period of 9 seconds, giving a combined wave energy of 287 (moderate). The water temperature is 68°, which is about normal for this time of year. But the wind is blowing SW at 12 mph, cross-shore, creating a chop. The surf is poor. Not a session to bother with.

Sunday, 23 August sees a bigger swell, 6 ft from the WNW in the morning and 6 ft from the W in the afternoon. The period is 11 seconds, so there’s some energy (767 and 596 combined energy) and the wind is cross-offshore, which is clean. But the forecast says “poor surf conditions.” It’s a tough one – the numbers look better, but the call is that it’s not working.

Monday, 24 August gets a 8 ft swell from the WSW with a short 8-second period. That’s over 5 ft, so it’s not for beginners, and the combined energy is 914 (moderate to strong). But the wind is cross-shore and the surf is poor. The setup is messy.

Tuesday, 25 August morning: the swell drops to 5 ft from the W, period 7 seconds, energy 193 (weak). The wind is light and cross-onshore. It’s marginal at best. Not worth getting excited.

The week drags on with similar stories – small, short-period swell, and cross-onshore winds. The afternoon of Friday, 28 August is the only real standout in the whole outlook. The swell is 8 ft from the NW with a period of 11 seconds, pumping a combined energy of 1596 (very strong). The wind is NNW at 12 mph, but it’s cross-onshore. The score is a 2 out of 10, which is the highest of the entire 16-day window. It’s the best on offer, but at 8 ft and with onshore wind, this is for experts only, and even then, it’s going to be lumpy. It’s a long way off, so keep an eye on it.

From Saturday, 29 August onwards, the swell stays small to medium, but the wind is almost always cross-onshore and fresh. The energy numbers drop back down. The surf is consistently poor. From the 30th of August through to the 6th of September, the swell height is below 5 ft, with periods mostly under 8 seconds, and the wind is either onshore or cross-onshore. The combined energy is weak to moderate. There’s a small pulse of longer period (11 seconds) swell on the 6th of September, but it’s only 2 ft to 3 ft with onshore wind.

There’s a gap of several days in the first week where there’s nothing to recommend. The best chance is the afternoon of the 28th of August, but it’s a long-range call and the wind is not ideal. For the rest of the time, it’s a frustrating run of poor conditions. For a spot that’s fairly consistent, it’s a dry spell.

Rusty.

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