Suicide Cliffs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you – Suicide Cliffs is not firing right now, and it’s going to stay that way for a while. We’re looking at a long, quiet run with only one faint glimmer of hope right at the tail end of the forecast.

The first proper surf worth paddling out for won’t show up until the morning of Thursday the 17th of September, and even then it’s marginal at best. The water’s sitting at a warm 84° with an anomaly of 0.7°, so pretty average for this time of year.

From now until that Thursday, expect nothing but tiny, weak waves. We’re talking swells barely scraping 1ft to 2ft, mostly from the S or SE, with short periods around 4 to 8 seconds. Combined energy is pitiful – often in the single digits or low tens (6 to 64 range). Winds are mostly offshore or cross-offshore, so it’ll look clean, but there’s simply no energy in the water. A few afternoons show a bump to 5ft on Saturday the 12th, but that’s from the SE with a cross wind and a period of 7 seconds – messy and weak. A few days later, on Wednesday the 16th of September, a pulse from the SW with a 12-second period and combined energy of 217 pops up, but the wind is onshore or cross-onshore, so expect chop.

Then on Thursday the 17th of September, we finally see a sniff of something. Morning brings a 3ft SW swell, period 12 seconds, combined energy of 333 (moderate energy), with a gentle cross-shore breeze. The call is “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions” – it’s barely a 1 out of 10, but it’s the best we’ve seen. This spot is a very consistent reef break, exposed to SW swells, and the direction matches the optimum SW direction. The wind is light, so it’ll be fairly clean, but the swell is small. Afternoon gets a 3ft SW swell at 13 seconds, 420 combined energy, but onshore wind, so less appealing.

Friday the 18th of September morning is worth a mention: glassy conditions, 2ft SW swell, 11-second period, combined energy of 176 – that’s clean and the period is decent, but again, small. The rating is only 1 out of 10. The afternoon stays clean with a cross-offshore breeze.

After that, the energy drops off hard again. From Saturday the 19th onward, we’re back to 0.7ft to 2ft SW swells, short periods, and combined energy in the tens. Winds are offshore or cross-offshore, so clean but tiny.

The one standout window is Thursday the 17th of September morning – it’s the best on offer. A small SW groundswell (12 seconds) with a light cross-shore breeze, moderate combined energy (333), and the direction is right for Suicide Cliffs. It’s not a classic day, but in this stretch, it’s your best bet. Crowds are often a factor here, so expect company.

This is a very consistent break, so the long flat spell is a bit unusual – but it won’t stay poor forever. Forecasts can change.

Rusty.

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