Inner Cut Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for the next couple of weeks.

We’re lookin’ at a pretty quiet stretch for the most part. The first few days are a write-off with tiny, weak swell and messy conditions. The real story is on the back end of the window, where a late burst of energy shows some promise.

The first sniff of anything rideable arrives on Sunday the 6th of September at Inner Cut (The-Cut-Nelson-Harbour). The morning starts off with a glassy 3 ft wave from the NNW, but it’s on a short 6 second period and the combined energy is weak (67). It’s surfable, but only just. The afternoon goes downhill fast with onshore wind and chop. The whole week after that is flat to tiny, with a few days of nothing but glassy 0.7 ft to 1 ft bumps. There’s a real dead zone from Monday the 7th right through to the 14th, just a long, boring gap.

Things start to get interesting on Tuesday the 15th of September. The morning brings a glassy 3 ft wave from the NW (64 combined energy), still a bit short on period at 6 seconds, but clean. Not a standout, but a sign of life. The real standout, the one to circle, is the weekend of the 19th and 20th of September. Saturday the 19th sees the swell jump to 5 ft from the NNW, with a solid 9 second period and a combined energy of 395 – that’s strong, moderate-to-strong energy! The wind is light and cross-shore, keeping it clean. This is the best of the whole run. Sunday the 20th is a close second, with a steady 3 ft NNW swell, a longer 10 second period, and glassy conditions all day. Combined energy sits at 173 and 137, which is solid. The water temp is around 55°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year, nothing to write home about.

A couple of notes: the Saturday morning surf is a bit more size, but still manageable for most intermediates. The crowd situation at Inner Cut can be “sometimes” busy, so you might have some company on that Sunday glass-off. The break is a bit inconsistent, so don’t expect a non-stop conveyor belt, but when the sets come through on that 20th, it’ll be worth it.

Beyond that, the 21st of September shows a jump in energy (246) but it’s ruined by a fresh onshore wind. That’s a hard pass.

So, the short version: don’t bother for the first week and a half. The best of it is the Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th of September. The 20th with glassy conditions might be the pick of the bunch. Keep an eye on the long-range, it’s promising but not totally locked in yet.

Rusty.

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