Suicides Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, Rusty here. Let’s have a proper look at what’s coming up at Suicides. This is a reef break that’s exposed to the north-northwest, and when it lines up, it can handle some proper groundswell. But this forecast is a real mixed bag – we’ve got plenty of swell, but the wind just won’t play ball for paddle surfing for the vast majority of the next 16 days. It’s a tough run.

For the first week, from Saturday the 29th of August right through to the 5th of September, we’re looking at a solid run of north swell. Heights are sitting between 3 ft and 6 ft, with the biggest push arriving on Saturday morning at 6 ft and again on Wednesday the 2nd. The wave energy is moderate to strong – you’ll feel that power, with values like 929 (Saturday morning) and 563 (Wednesday afternoon). But here’s the rub: the wind is a persistent cross-onshore, often a fresh breeze around 15-18 mph, and that’s just going to chop it all up. The wave comments are consistently "poor surf conditions." The period is short, mostly 8 seconds, which means a lot of close-outs and bumpy faces. For a paddle surfer, it’s a write-off. Honestly, if the wind stays this strong and square, this setup looks far more interesting for a kite surfer than anyone paddling. We start to see a shift on Thursday the 3rd afternoon, with the wind turning offshore (NNW 12 mph), but the swell is dropping to just 4 ft with low energy (188). It’s a tiny improvement, but the setup is still messy.

Friday the 4th and Saturday the 5th are still dominated by that onshore flow, so no joy there. Sunday the 6th is more of the same – a gentle offshore NW wind, but the swell bottoms out to a weak 3 ft with a short 7-second period. It’s a dribbler.

Now, here’s the one true standout in this entire outlook. It’s a long way off, but you’ll want to circle Tuesday morning, the 8th of September. For the first time, we get a clean setup. The swell is a solid 4 ft from the north, but the wind is a gentle 9 mph from the east-southeast, blowing cross-offshore, which should groom the face nicely. The wave comment says “expect good surf conditions” and the energy is moderate (294). It’s not huge, but it will be clean. That is your best bet. The 9th of September Wednesday morning also looks promising – a bigger 6 ft north swell with a light 6 mph offshore (NW wind), which would make for some hollow, punchy waves over the reef. The energy is strong (550), but the wave comment is “marginal.” It could be good, but that’s a call you’ll have to make on the day. For the second week, that’s about it. The rest of the period is plagued by that cross-onshore breeze or onshore winds, with wave heights fading and the period dropping off. By the 13th of September, we’re down to a 2 ft swell from the west-northwest with a 13-second period – long period, but very small and still gusty.

In short, it’s a grim run for paddle surfing. If you *have* to get wet, aim for that Tuesday the 8th or maybe Wednesday the 9th. Otherwise, keep the board in the car.

Rusty.

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