Cunns Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a mixed bag coming up for Cunns over the next couple of weeks, but there are definitely some windows worth paddling out for.

The pattern kicks off with a solid, powerful groundswell from the southwest that’s already packing some serious energy. The water temp is sitting at 59.2°, which is pretty much what you’d expect for this time of year. Early on, we’ve got a bit of a messy cross-chop from a moderate breeze, so the first decent chance doesn’t arrive until Thursday morning, the 20th of August.

That Thursday morning is a real standout. The wind goes glassy, light offshore from the WSW, and we’ve got a clean 3ft SW groundswell with a long 16-second period. The combined energy is a solid 515 – moderate, but clean and lined up. This is about as good as it gets for a mellow, tidy session at Cunns. It’s an inconsistent reef break though, so don’t expect non-stop action, but the quality will make up for it. You might have company – crowds are possible there.

The next real highlight is the Saturday, 22nd of August. The morning kicks off with a clean 5.2ft SW swell (15-second period) and a light offshore from the ENE. The combined energy jumps to 1286 – strong stuff. It’s clean and well-shaped, but at 5.2ft, it’s still in the sweet spot for experienced surfers. The afternoon holds similar clean conditions with a 4.9ft swell. Crowds are possible here too, but worth it.

Sunday the 23rd gets tricky with a cross-shore in the morning, but the afternoon goes glassy again with a 4.3ft SW swell and a long 17-second period. That’s a powerful groundswell, but it might break a bit straight at a beach break – Cunns is a reef, so it should handle it well. The combined energy is 1282 in the morning and still 897 in the afternoon.

We hit a bit of a lull from Monday the 24th into Tuesday the 25th. Early Monday is poor with onshore wind, but the afternoon cleans up with a cross-off breeze and a 3.9ft SW swell. Tuesday sees a bigger 6.2ft SW swell (15-second period) pushing through with a strong 1568 combined energy, but the wind is a moderate cross-off, keeping it clean. That’s pushing into the size where only advanced surfers should be out.

Wednesday the 26th afternoon goes glassy again with a 3.6ft SW swell – a nice little clean-up, but nothing massive. The combined energy drops to 409.

Things get a bit wild from Thursday the 27th. A 5.2ft SW swell with a massive 19-second period and 1789 combined energy rolls in, but the wind is cross-onshore and it’s messy. Friday the 28th brings a 6.6ft SW swell – that’s expert territory – and combined energy of 1953, but cross-shore winds make it tricky. Saturday the 29th has 5.9ft SW swell with a strong breeze, and light rain. Not the best.

The second week sees a drop in size and quality. Sunday the 30th of August morning is the best of that pack: a clean 4.3ft SSW swell with a light offshore, but the combined energy is only 631. After that, it’s mostly poor surf with onshore winds and lumpy conditions through to the 3rd of September. The swell drops to under 3ft most days, with weak energy (around 250-500).

Honestly, the first weekend – Thursday the 20th and Saturday the 22nd of August – are your best shots. Get in there.

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