Suicide Cliffs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

We’re looking at a wild ride ahead for Suicide Cliffs. The water is sitting at 87°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – nice and warm.

The first few days are a write-off. Monday and Tuesday, we’ve got tiny swell – 1ft to 1ft – and the wind is mostly cross-off or cross-off, but it’s just not enough to get excited about. The energy is weak (17 to 20), and the surf is flat. Wednesday doesn’t improve much, with a bit more wind (12 mph) and still no real power. Thursday morning, the wind goes solid offshore from the north at 25 mph, but there’s no swell to ride, so it’s just a clean, empty ocean. Thursday afternoon, the wind picks up to near gale – forget about paddling out.

Then Friday, August 7th, things get absolutely nuts. A massive swell arrives, pushing 20ft on Friday morning (combined energy 7497 – moderate to strong) and then 30ft on Friday afternoon (energy 20606 – very strong). The period is 10 to 12 seconds, so it’s a proper groundswell. The wind is cross-off, but here’s the thing – this break is a reef, and with a 30ft swell, it’s going to be a massive, technical, expert-only beast. This is not for the faint of heart. If you’re a charger, Friday afternoon is the standout of the entire period, but it’s a serious, life-size wave.

Saturday, August 8th, is even bigger – 44ft to 48ft, with an insane energy of 68229 to 85501. The wind turns cross then cross-on, and it’s going to be a messy, dangerous, blown-out mess. This is more for the big-wave tow-in crew, and honestly, it looks more like a kite-surfing or tow-surfing setup than a paddle session. Sunday, August 9th, keeps the huge swell (20ft to 33ft) but with hurricane-force onshore winds – unrideable for anyone.

The huge swell continues into the second week, but it’s all onshore and too big. From Monday, August 10th, through Wednesday, August 12th, we’ve got 15ft to 20ft swell with strong onshore winds – all poor conditions. The energy is still very high (10224 to 15056), but it’s blown out.

Finally, Thursday, August 13th, things start to settle. The swell drops to 10ft from the SSW, period 11 seconds, and the wind is light onshore in the morning, then light cross in the afternoon. It’s still marginal, but it’s a sign of things calming down. Energy is down to 2177 to 2572 – moderate.

Friday, August 14th, is a bit smaller (5ft to 8ft) and still marginal, with a gentle cross-off or cross-shore breeze. Saturday, August 15th, is the best of the second week – 5ft from the S, period 9 seconds, with light cross-off wind from the east and clean conditions. The energy is 641, which is moderate, and it’s a nice, manageable size for most intermediates. Sunday, August 16th, stays clean and small (3ft to 3ft) with light offshore winds – a fun little session for a longboard or a small-wave board.

The rest of the 16 days fades out with tiny, weak swell and light wind – nothing to write home about.

So, the big standout is Friday afternoon, August 7th, for the expert big-wave crew. For everyone else, Saturday, August 15th, is the pick of the second week – clean, manageable, and fun.

Stay safe out there.

Rusty

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