Cunns Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Well, we’ve got a bit of a turbulent week ahead at Cunns. A solid southwest groundswell is pushing in, but the wind is going to be the main character in this story for the first few days. We’re looking at fresh cross-onshore breezes through Tuesday and Wednesday, and the surf will be lumpy, messy, and not worth your time. The swell energy is strong, hitting a massive 4288 on Tuesday afternoon, but with that strong westerly wind slamming into it, it’s all chop and no shape. That’s a pass from me.

Thursday morning, things start to change. The wind drops right off to almost nothing from the west, only 3 mph, and while the conditions are still poor early, the afternoon brings a light southerly cross-offshore breeze. The surf cleans up nicely with a 7ft southwest swell at 15 seconds – that’s a proper groundswell with real punch, and the combined energy is 1932. It’s still an expert-only wave at that size, but for the experienced crew, this is the first window of the week where you can actually get a clean one. The water temp is 60°, which is about average for this time of year.

Friday is where we hit the standout of the entire forecast. The morning starts with clear skies and an easterly offshore wind at only 6 mph. That is clean, glassy, and perfect. The swell is a consistent 7ft from the southwest with a long 17-second period, making for powerful, well-shaped lines. The combined energy is a strong 2531. This is a reef break, and with that long period swell, it’s going to unload beautifully. For an advanced surfer, this is as good as it gets. The afternoon holds the same quality with a gentle offshore breeze. Crowds are possible here sometimes, so get in early for the best of it.

Saturday still offers good waves, with the swell dropping a little to 5-6ft and a moderate offshore breeze keeping things clean. The energy dips to 1410, but it’s still fun and surfable for the experienced. Sunday sees the swell tail off to 4-4ft, but the offshore wind persists, making for some clean, smaller waves in the afternoon.

There’s a gap from Monday the 18th through to Thursday the 21st where the surf gets pretty small and the wind turns messy again. We see some cross-shore and cross-onshore breezes, and the swell drops below 5ft with a lot of days in the poor to marginal category. Not much to get excited about there.

Then, on Saturday the 22nd of August, we get another interesting spike. A 8ft southwest swell pushes in, but the period drops right back to a short 8 seconds. The wind is offshore from the east at 16 mph, so it’ll be clean on the surface, but that short period means the waves will be a bit weaker and more crumbly. It’s still rideable for experienced surfers, but don’t expect the same power as the previous Friday. The energy is moderate at 769.

After that, we’re into smaller, less reliable surf for the rest of the period, with cross-shore winds and decreasing swell energy through the final days. The standout window is clearly Thursday afternoon through Saturday, with Friday 14 August being the absolute pick of the bunch.

Stay safe, and get out there for that Friday glass-off.

Rusty

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