Aha Rivermouth Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, surfers, Rusty here. Let's look at what's on the menu for the next couple of weeks. I've got to be straight with you right off the bat: we're in for a long, quiet run. The first real opportunity to paddle out isn't until Wednesday morning, July 22nd, and even then, it's not going to have anyone hooting from the beach.

The setup is at Aha Rivermouth. It's a beach and jetty combo, and it's fairly consistent, but that doesn't mean much when the swell is this small. We're looking at a tiny 2ft wave from the east with a 9-second period, which is short-period, windswell stuff. The combined energy is weak (58). The saving grace on Wednesday morning the 22nd is the wind – it's glassy, and that's a huge positive for a spot that usually gets a bit of a breeze. The water is sitting at 83°F and is about normal for the time of year. It's small, but it's clean. For a beginner, it's a good day to get wet, but there's not enough power to get excited about.

After that brief window, we drop back into nothing. From Thursday the 23rd right through to the end of the month, the forecast is a write-off. The swell hovers around 1ft to 2ft, but the winds turn mostly cross-on or onshore, making it choppy and messy. The energy stays weak, and the comments tell the story: "poor surf conditions." We’ve got a solid week of flat, junky surf ahead.

Then, on Sunday, July 26th, the swell tries to show up. The swell height jumps to 6ft in the morning and 8ft in the afternoon, coming from the southeast with a moderate 10-11 second period. The combined energy is strong (684 in the morning, 2369 by afternoon). That's a lot of water moving around. But here's the catch: the wind is howling at 16 mph from the ESE, creating a messy cross-chop. The forecast says "marginal" at best, and with that much wind and that size, this is more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddling one. It's not the clean, lined-up wave we're after. For a beach break, the long-period swell and side-shore wind will just make it a washing machine. That's expert territory only, and even then, it's not recommended.

After that one pulse, it's all over. The first week of August is back to tiny, weak swells with strong cross or onshore winds. The energy is a bit higher (116 on August 3rd), but it's all wind-chop with a 1ft wave. Nothing to hang your hat on.

So, the short story: if you're desperate, Wednesday morning July 22nd is the pick of a very poor bunch. It's small and clean. Everything else in the next 16 days is either flat, blown out, or both. It's a tough stretch. Hang loose, and maybe give the board a wax for the next system.

Rusty.

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