Suicide Cliffs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s break down the next couple of weeks at Suicide Cliffs, a reef break that’s very consistent and exposed to the SW. It’s a spot for intermediate-plus surfers, but the crowds can be often here.

Right now, the water is sitting at 86°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. Not a huge deal, but it’s nice.

The pattern starts out flat and sleepy. We’ve got a few days of tiny, weak swell. From Thursday 30th July through Tuesday 4th August, we’re looking at ankle-to-knee-high waves – 1ft to 2ft from the SW with a short period of 8 seconds. The combined energy is weak, mostly in the teens and low twenties. The wind is calm or light offshore, making it glassy or clean, but there’s just no power. It’s a total write-off for paddle surfing. You’d be better off on a longboard or just staying home.

Then things get weird. From Wednesday 5th August through Friday 7th August, the wind goes nuclear. Wednesday brings a fresh offshore breeze, and by Thursday 6th, we’re looking at gale-force offshore winds, 40-53 mph, with the swell jumping to 13ft from the NW. The combined energy hits 2272 – that’s strong. By Friday 7th, it’s a full-on hurricane-force event. The swell is 30ft on the Friday morning, from the WSW, with a period of 12 seconds. The combined energy is a massive 23128. That’s seriously powerful. The wind is howling onshore, making it unsurfable. This is a kite-surfing or storm-watching setup, not a paddle-surfing one. The forecast notes say the swell is too big for this break, and I agree.

The energy stays high through the weekend. Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th of August, the swell drops to 16ft and 15ft, but the wind is still strong onshore – from the SSE, creating lumpy, choppy conditions. The combined energy is still in the thousands (7815, 6590). This is expert-only territory, and even then, it’s a mess.

We start to see a drop-off on Monday 10th and Tuesday 11th August. The swell comes down to 6ft on Monday afternoon, still with a 12-second period, but the wind turns cross-shore, creating a cross-chop. The combined energy is 1494 – still moderate but fading. Tuesday 11th sees it drop to 4ft, with a period of 11 seconds, and the wind stays cross-shore. The energy is down to 594. It’s still marginal.

The real standout window is Thursday 13th August. Thursday morning looks like the best of a pretty average run. The swell is 3ft from the S, with a period of 10 seconds. The combined energy is 235 – weak, but it’s the cleanest we’ll get. The wind is light and cross-offshore from the ENE. The forecast actually says “expect good surf conditions” for that morning. It’s not going to be huge, but it’ll be clean and rideable. The crowds will likely be there, but the conditions should be fun.

After that, Friday 14th August fades back to a weak, cross-shore chop.

So, overall, the first week is a no-go. The middle of the period is a dangerous, stormy mess. The only real chance to get a clean wave is on the morning of Thursday 13th August – small, clean, and friendly. If you’re a beginner, this is the only window that’s safe. The rest of the 16 days is either flat, too windy, or too big.

Rusty out.

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