Al Gal Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk about Al Gal.

To be straight with you, looking out over these next couple of weeks, it’s a pretty quiet stretch. The swell is small and the wind is almost always cross-onshore, which messes with any chance of a clean face. The wave energy is weak, with readings hovering between 13 and 42 in the first week, and only nudging into moderate territory briefly later on. This is not a time to go working on your quiver—it’s more of a longboard and patience situation.

Right from Saturday the 11th of July, it’s a struggle. We’ve got a tiny 2 ft swell from the WNW with a short period of 6 seconds, and the wind is glassy first thing but straight away turns cross-onshore in the arvo. The combined energy is a measly 20 on Saturday morning, barely enough to push a sea foam. That’ll be a write-off.

Sunday the 12th and Monday the 13th are more of the same: 1 ft to 2 ft, period stuck at 6 seconds, cross-onshore breeze. The energy stays low, topping out at 33 Monday morning. Not worth the paddle.

Tuesday the 14th and Wednesday the 15th are a bit of a tease. Wednesday morning actually gets a marginal call, with 3 ft swell and the period stretching to 8 seconds. Wind is light cross-onshore from the SW at 3 mph, so it’s not terrible, and combined energy creeps up to 78. But honestly, at this size and with the wind direction, it’s still a frustrating session. The water temp anomaly is about average for the time of year, so no excuses there.

Thursday the 16th morning is similar—3 ft, 8-second period, and a light cross-onshore breeze. Energy at 88, marginal again. But then it fades back to 1 ft on Friday the 17th. There’s a real gap from the 17th right through to about the 21st of July, with swell barely above 2 ft and poor conditions most days. Not much to report, just skimpy little waves and choppy afternoons.

Now, on Tuesday the 21st in the afternoon, the swell bumps up to 4 ft from the WNW, period 7 seconds, and the combined energy hits 115. But the wind is onshore from the west at 12 mph, which makes it lumpy. Wednesday the 22nd is the biggest of the whole run—4 ft swell, 8-second period, energy at 165 in the afternoon. But again, onshore wind at 12 mph spoils it. For a beginner, this size is still okay, but the chop won’t be fun. The setup here is a beach or beach-and-reef, and with the wind and the small, weak swell, it honestly looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing through most of this.

The final bit of hope comes Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th of July. Saturday morning shows 3 ft, 8-second period, light cross-onshore wind from the SSW at 6 mph, and energy of 94—marginal but the best shot all fortnight. Sunday morning is similar, 3 ft with 8 seconds. But overall, this is a long quiet run for Al Gal. It’s a consistent spot in the right conditions, but the forecasts are all showing poor surf quality. It won’t stay this bad forever, but right now, leave the board at home and save the fuel.

Rusty.

Read more