Cunns Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, grab your wettie, let’s have a look at what’s comin’. It’s gonna be a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks, but there are a few windows where it’ll come together proper.

The first real chance of a surf kicks off on Sunday, August 30th, with Cunns gettin’ a clean, gentle offshore breeze from the ESE. Swell is 4 ft from the SW with a nice long period of 19 seconds – that’s proper groundswell energy. The combined energy is strong at 1016, so you’ll feel the push. That long period will make for some nice lines on the reef, but it can also make it a bit walled-up if you’re at a beach break. This is a reef, so it’ll handle it fine. This afternoon window is your standout of the whole outlook: clean, good size, and cracking energy. Don't sleep on it.

Now, Monday, August 31st, the swell bumps up to 5 ft, still SW, still a long 18-19 second period. The energy goes through the roof (1642 and 1453), but the wind swings around to a NNE cross-shore, so the surface won’t be as clean. It’ll be fun for the experienced crew, but a bit bumpy.

Then we hit a rough patch. From Tuesday, September 1st, right through to the end of the first week, the wind gets ugly. Strong cross-onshore and onshore winds – 25 mph from the N and WSW, then a couple of days of 22–31 mph from the W and SW. The swell sticks around, but it’s going to be a mess. There’s a big spike in energy on the 1st (2045) and on the 5th (2048) but with those winds, it’s blown out. For a reef setup, this is looking more like a kite-surfing session than a paddle-surfing one.

There’s a small glimmer on Thursday, September 3rd in the afternoon. Some clouds, a cross-offshore SE breeze at 9 mph, and a clean 5 ft SW swell. The energy is moderate (875). It’s a decent window, but it’s brief before the wind turns again.

The second week finally shows a promising turn. Tuesday, September 8th and Wednesday, September 9th look fantastic. We get a solid 7 ft to 8 ft SW groundswell (16-second period) with a clean cross-offshore breeze from the S and SE. The energy on the 8th afternoon is massive (4681), and the wind is light enough to keep it clean. This is for experienced surfers only – that size on a reef with that much juice is serious. For the rest of us, Wednesday the 9th is still really good, with 6 ft swells and clean offshore winds. That’s your second best bet.

After that, the swell backs off and the wind gets messy again from the north, with onshore flow returning. There’s a quick, clean southerly offshore on Thursday, September 10th afternoon with 5 ft swell, but the energy is only moderate (975). It’s a last little pulse before it all fades out into muddy conditions again.

So, to sum it up: Sunday afternoon, August 30th is your top pick for clean, quality waves. Tuesday, September 8th afternoon is for the big-wave crew. Get out there when it’s clean, because the weather isn't messing around.

Stay safe out there.
Rusty

Read more