Suicide Cliffs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for Suicide Cliffs over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a proper dry spell. The first few days are a real struggle – tiny, weak swell and poor conditions. Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th have waves around 1 ft to 5 ft, but the wind is all wrong, cross-onshore, choppy, and the energy is low, coming in at 27 to 349. Not worth paddling out for. You’d be better off waxing your board and waiting.

Then Sunday the 26th morning gives us a little glimmer – clean conditions with a light offshore wind from ENE, and a 4 ft S swell with a 9-second period. The combined energy is 264. It’s not huge, but it’s clean. That’s about the only decent moment in that first stretch, and the score is only a 2. After that, Monday through Thursday (27th to 30th July) is mostly small and choppy, with waist-high or less. The water temp is about average for the time of year.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Friday the 31st of July morning and afternoon, we see a proper swell arrive – 4 ft to 5 ft from the SSE, with a long period of 12-13 seconds groundswell. That’s real energy, hitting 581 to 887. The wind is cross-offshore, so it’ll be clean. This is looking like a standout window for the more experienced crew. The reef setup at Suicide Cliffs should handle that long period nicely.

Then things ramp up. Saturday the 1st of August brings a 8 ft to 8 ft S swell with a 13-second period, and the combined energy jumps to 2097. That’s solid, but the wind is cross-shore with a little ripple, so it’s not perfect. Sunday the 2nd of August is the big one – a 13 ft to 15 ft S/SSW swell with a 14-second period, energy at 6766 to 7825. That is *serious* groundswell. The break quality is only rated marginal due to tide, but for experts, this is the session to be watching. It’s going to be huge, clean in the morning, but the afternoon gets a cross-shore chop from a moderate breeze. Monday the 3rd continues with a 16 ft swell in the morning, but again, the wind messes it up a bit later.

After that, it turns ugly. Tuesday the 4th of August through the end of the outlook is a write-off – strong winds, risk of thunderstorms, and messy, blown-out conditions. Those 10 ft to 8 ft swells are ruined by near-gale winds. Not for paddle surfing. A kite might have a go, but for us wave riders, it’s a no-go.

Overall, the best bet is the morning of Sunday the 26th for a fun clean wave, and then the big swells from Friday the 31st through to Monday the 3rd of August for the experts. The Sunday the 2nd and Monday the 3rd morning sessions are the true standouts for big wave hunters.

- Rusty

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