Cunns Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. Let’s be straight up – it’s a rough start for Cunns (reef). The next week or so is pretty grim, with the first half of the period dominated by strong winds and messy, lumpy conditions. We’ve got a long wait on our hands before anything worth paddling out for shows up.

Saturday the 11th and Sunday the 12th are write-offs – cross-onshore winds from the west and southwest, gusting 22 to 25 mph, with swell around 7ft to 8ft but period is short (7 to 12 seconds) and combined wave energy is moderate (431 to 2843). It’s just poor surf, no two ways about it. By Monday the 13th, the swell jumps to 10ft to 12ft from the southwest, with a very long 16-second period – that’s a serious groundswell – but it’s still cross-on or onshore and messy. The combined energy gets up to 8724, which is strong, but with the wind howling at 16 to 19 mph, it’s only for the brave or the foolish. Tuesday the 14th is similar: 7ft to 8ft, 16-second period, gentle cross onshore, but still marginal.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Wednesday the 15th is the first real standout – the best on offer in the whole outlook. The wind swings to the east-northeast and east-southeast, going cross-offshore and even fully offshore, light at 6 to 9 mph. That means clean waves. The swell holds around 5ft to 6ft from the southwest, with a 15-second period (long period groundswell), and combined energy is moderate (1254 to 1111). This is excellent surf for experienced surfers. The 15-second period will make for good shape, but on a reef like Cunns, it should line up nicely. Just be aware it’s inconsistent – it doesn’t always fire.

After that, it drops off again. Thursday the 16th through to Sunday the 19th bring weaker swell (2ft to 4ft) and either strong cross-shore winds or onshore gales. The combined energy drops below 1000, so it’s weak. Not worth your time.

We get another faint pulse around Wednesday the 22nd and Thursday the 23rd with swell around 5ft to 7ft, 10 to 15-second period, and combined energy back up into the low thousands – but the winds are still cross-on or cross-shore, so it’s marginal at best. Nothing to get excited about.

Then, the second standout window opens Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th. On Friday, with fresh offshore from the east at 19 mph, you get clean 6ft swell from the southwest, 14 to 15-second period, and combined energy around 1327 to 1520 – moderate. It’s marginal but clean, which counts for a lot. Saturday the 25th is the pick of the long-range: moderate offshore wind from the east at 16 mph, swell 5ft to 6ft (southwest, 14 to 16 seconds), combined energy 1139 to 1309. The morning session scores “excellent for experienced surfers.” It’s the kind of day you set an alarm for. Keep in mind, it’s over two weeks out, so treat it as promising but not locked in.

The water temp is around average for this time of year – nothing unusual to report.

You’ll see a long gap from Saturday 18th to Tuesday 21st with no real options. That’s normal for this area when the wind is on it.

Overall, it’s a waiting game. Wednesday the 15th is the clear best day in the first week, and Saturday the 25th is the one to watch in the second. Stay patient, the reef will deliver when the wind plays ball.

Rusty

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