Suicide Cliffs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on the cards for Suicide Cliffs. It’s a bit of a wild ride this outlook, with some absolute monsters on the horizon, but you’ve got to pick your moment.

The pattern starts quiet and stays that way for a good stretch. The first few days are a write-off for any real surfing. Wednesday and Thursday of this week offer tiny, weak swell – think 2ft of short-period slop – and while the wind is clean, there’s just no energy. The combined energy is only 52, which is really weak. We’re looking at a dry spell right up until the end of the week.

Now, Friday the 7th of August is where things get interesting. A huge NW swell starts showing up, building rapidly. Friday afternoon is the first real event, with a 28ft swell from the NW, but the wind is howling at 84 mph and it's cross-off. That’s hurricane-force. The wave energy is astronomical (18279), but honestly, that’s for the big-wave chargers only, and even then, it’s sketchy. The real standout, if you are an expert, is Saturday the 8th. We’ve got a massive 44ft to 49ft SSW groundswell with a very long period of 14 to 15 seconds. The combined energy numbers are off the charts – 75188 to 106196. This is extreme. But, the wind is onshore and light at first, turning into a near-gale by afternoon. For a reef break like Suicide Cliffs, that much swell with onshore wind is dangerous and blown out. It’s only for the most experienced, and even then, it's a massive risk.

Sunday the 9th and Monday the 10th continue the theme of oversized, dangerous surf – 41ft to 43ft swells, but with hurricane-force and severe gale cross-onshore winds. That’s not surf; that’s survival. The water temp is sitting around 87°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t freeze while getting pounded.

Things settle down from Tuesday the 11th. The swell drops to 13ft, but it’s still cross-onshore and lumpy. Not great. By Wednesday the 12th of August, we finally get a window. The swell is down to 7ft from the SW, and the wind swings WNW at 6 mph, giving us clean, cross-off conditions. The wave energy is moderate at 1894. This is the best, most manageable option for experienced surfers in this whole forecast. It’s not a standout for the masses, but for the crew who know the Cliffs, Wednesday afternoon is the pick of the bunch. After that, it drops back to small, clean but marginal surf for the rest of the second week, with swell under 5ft and weak energy.

So, bottom line: The first week is either flat or terrifying. The only real call for a decent paddle session is Wednesday afternoon, August 12th. That’s your window for clean, ridable waves at Suicide Cliffs. Everything else is either too small or too big to be fun.

Rusty.

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