Suicide Cliffs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Let's have a proper look at what's on the cards for Suicide Cliffs over the next couple of weeks. I'll be straight with you – it's a grim stretch.

Right from the get-go, the outlook is shockin'. We've got a long run of no good surf, with the first recommendation, and even that's a stretch, not turning up until September 6th. Before that, it's all rough, blown-out mess, big winds, and lumpy conditions that are an absolute write-off. For a spot as consistent as Suicide Cliffs, that's a tough pill to swallow. The water temp is about 84°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year, but that's about the only thing that's average.

From Saturday August 29th right through to Monday September 7th, it’s a desert. Early on, the cross-onshore winds are howling at 19 mph or more, with swell energy mostly in the moderate range, like 715 on Saturday morning. The wind just won’t ease up. It’s nearly all cross-on and blown out, making a mess of the 7ft southeasterly swell. Tuesday September 1st brings a near gale at 31 mph – that’s not surf, that’s a survival mission in heavy, messy lines.

The only glimmer in this whole outlook comes on Monday September 7th morning. We see a tiny 3ft southerly groundswell, but the big story is the wind. It's a clean, moderate offshore out of the north-northeast at 16 mph. For Suicide Cliffs, a reef break that loves a SW swell, this combination is all about clean, workable conditions rather than any size. The swell energy is weak, just 181, but the offshore wind will make it glassy and the waves will have shape. Don't expect barrels; expect a clean, quiet surf.

Even then, Monday afternoon the wind picks up and shifts cross-offshore, taking the shine off. Then Tuesday and Wednesday return to nonsense.

So, the best on offer? It's Monday the 7th morning. The surf is tiny at 3ft from the SSW, and it's not powerful, but when you've had over a week of howling wind and chop, a clean 3ft wave with an offshore breeze sounds like heaven.

It looks more interesting for kite surfing on days like the 11th and 12th of September, where strong cross-shore winds and 10ft of swelling energy in the thousands (2167 and 2683) will make for a wild, dangerous ocean – but not for a paddle surfer.

Stay patient.
Rusty.

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