Suicide Cliffs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it. We’ve got a long look at Suicide Cliffs, and to be brutally honest, it’s a rough 16-day stretch. The conditions just don’t line up for good surfing for the vast majority of the period. There’s no real standout, but there is a very small window that’s worth paddling out for if you’re keen.

The main story is persistent unfavourable wind and messy swell. Right from the start, the whole first week is pretty much a write-off. We’ve got a solid SW groundswell rolling in over the first few days, with moderate wave energy (708) building to strong energy later. But the wind is almost always cross-on or onshore, which is chopping it all up. The water temp is sitting at 84°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing weird there.

The only real glimmer in the whole outlook is a brief window on the morning of Tuesday the 25th of August. The swell drops right down to 3ft from the SW, with moderate energy (93), but the wind swings offshore from the N at 16 mph. The price you pay for small surf with good wind is that it will be clean but weak. After that, the afternoon wind picks up to 25 mph, which makes paddling out a chore and the waves hard to line up.

The middle of the week, from the 26th to the 28th, sees a big spike in swell, hitting 16ft from the SW on the Thursday morning with a very long period of 12 seconds and strong energy (6894). That’s a powerful groundswell, one for experts only. But the wind is terrible – near gale-force onshore or cross-onshore, making for blown-out, lumpy conditions. It’s not a surf day; it would be more suited to a kiteboard if you’re into that.

From the end of August into the start of September, the swell drops right off. For the mornings of the 30th and 31st, we’re looking at 3ft to 4ft swells with clean conditions, but the wave energy is low and the period is short (9-10 seconds). It’s not really worth a dedicated trip. Then from the 1st of September through to the 7th, the swell gets even smaller, barely topping 2ft. There are some clean, offshore winds in there, but the wave energy is weak. By the 3rd of September, it’s just a storm-force mess. The final days on the 6th and 7th offer a little clean 2ft to 3ft surf from the S with offshore winds, but again, it’s very ordinary and weak.

If I’m forced to pick the best on offer, it’s hands-down the Tuesday morning of the 25th of August. It’s small, but the offshore wind will make it glassy and workable on the reef. Nothing else in this window gets close. The rest of the wait is either too big and blown out, or too small and weak. There’s a long dry spell after that, so get on that Tuesday morning if you can.

Rusty.

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