Akabane Long Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Well, we’ve got one spot on the menu for this whole run, and it’s a ripper for the crew who know what they’re doing, though it comes with a big warning. Akabane Long Beach is exposed to the south-southeast, and it’s a very consistent break. It’s an intermediate-level wave, but a few times in the coming days it’s going to be way too much for most.

We kick off on Thursday morning, the 9th of July, with a solid 8ft swell from the SSE. The period is a meaty 14 seconds, which is a good groundswell, bringing heaps of energy (2188). The wind is glassy from the south at just 3 mph, so the surface will be absolutely pristine. This is excellent surf for the experienced – clean, powerful waves, but it’s pushing into that size where beginners will want to sit it out. The water temperature is about average for this time of year.

Thursday afternoon sees that same 8ft swell, but the wind swings onshore from the SSE, bumping up to 9 mph. That’s a real shame; the quality drops away fast.

Friday morning the 10th of July steps it up. We’ve got a 10ft swell from the south, a 16-second period, and the energy is huge (4005). The wind is light onshore from the southeast, but the problem is the size. This is getting into expert-only territory – too big for intermediates for sure. The same goes for Friday afternoon, and Saturday, the 11th of July, is even bigger: 12ft swell from the south with a 17-second period – the combined energy hits 7663. That’s a very long period groundswell, so it’ll be heaving and powerful, but again, only for the most skilled and experienced. A long period swell like this will be best for a point break or reef, but at a beach break – and this is a beach – you might find it breaking a bit too straight. The Saturday morning glass-off from the south-southeast is a beautiful thing, but the size is the issue.

Sunday morning, the 12th, drops slightly to 10ft, still glassy calm from the south, but that’s still a very big, powerful swell (5508) for the experienced only. Sunday afternoon it backs off to 8ft and the wind goes cross-shore from the west-southwest, but it’s not really a clean option.

Monday the 13th of July is where the window starts to open for everyone else. The morning brings a 4ft swell from the south, 11-second period, and a clean cross-offshore wind from the northwest at 9 mph. Energy is down to 718. That’s a decent, clean wave for an intermediate. Not a standout, but a good session.

Tuesday morning the 14th is flat and glassy: 4ft from the south-southwest. Clean but small. After that, things go pretty ordinary.

From Tuesday afternoon right through to Sunday the 19th, we are looking at a long, dry spell. The swell hangs around 4ft or under, the period drops to 8 or 9 seconds – short period windswell – and the wind is consistently onshore or cross-onshore from the south or southeast. The energy figures are well below 300 for most of that, and the wave comment calls it poor. There’s nothing to get excited about. It’s a real flat patch and the conditions are average.

Sunday the 19th afternoon sees a pulse of 8ft from the east-southeast with a 7-second period – that’s messy windswell, not really offering any quality.

We then get a bit of a wait until Tuesday the 21st of July, where a 7ft swell from the south with a 14-second period rolls in, but the wind is onshore. It’s marginal.

The next real bright spot isn’t until Wednesday morning the 22nd of July. We’ve got a 4ft swell from the south-southwest, an 11-second period, and the wind is glassy calm from the southwest. Energy is 582, and the call is “expect very good surf conditions.” That’s clean, small, but fun – a nice session for the intermediate.

Thursday the 23rd of July has a clean, cross-offshore wind from the northeast for the morning, with a 3ft south-southeast swell. It’s small but clean.

After that, it all fades out again with onshore winds and small, weak surf.

So look, the real standout is clear: Thursday morning, the 9th of July, at Akabane Long Beach. That 8ft SSE groundswell with glassy conditions is going to be a magic window for the experienced paddler. The other one to circle is Wednesday morning, the 22nd of July – it’s smaller but glassy and clean for a proper session without the crowd drama, though the often crowds are a factor at this spot.

The forecast in the second week is much more uncertain, so treat that Wednesday 22nd call as promising but not locked in.

Rusty.

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