Ammonias Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, giving you the lowdown on Ammonias. This is a reef break, and it's not a spot that just fires every day.

Right now, we’re looking at a bit of a slow start. The first solid wave energy we see is on Monday, 27th July, with a 4ft swell from the east, but it's pretty messy. The wind is a cross-shore breeze at 15 mph, and it's creating a cross-chop. The combined energy is moderate (732), but the conditions are just poor. Nothing to get excited about.

Tuesday, 28th July is where things start to look a little more interesting. The swell jumps up to 6ft from the east on Tuesday morning, with a period of 13 seconds, which is a solid groundswell. The combined energy is strong (1461). The wind is still cross-shore, but it’s a bit lighter. The afternoon is better, with a 7ft east swell and a nice cross-offshore breeze that cleans it up. The score is a bit better for the afternoon, but it’s still a marginal call.

Wednesday, 29th July is the standout. This is the morning to be in the water. We’ve got a 7ft swell from the east-northeast, with a period of 10 seconds. The combined energy is strong (1246). The wind is a light cross-offshore breeze from the north-northwest, and it’s clean. The conditions are rated as excellent for experienced surfers. Then the afternoon gets even better. The wind drops to completely glassy, zero wind, with the swell still a solid 7ft from the east-northeast. This is the best of the whole forecast. The water temperature is 80°, which is about average for the time of year, so no surprise there.

After Wednesday, it drops off. Thursday, 30th July the swell crashes down to 3ft from the south, and the wind goes onshore. It’s a write-off. Friday, 31st July through to Sunday, 9th August is a long stretch of poor conditions. The wind is mostly a cross or cross-onshore breeze from the east-northeast at 15 to 19 mph, and the swell is all short-period windswell (7 to 8 seconds). The combined energy is moderate to strong, but the chop is just too much. It’s a big gap of about ten days with nothing worth paddling out for.

Even when the swell is over 8ft on the 1st and 2nd of August, it’s too big for beginners, and the wind is a fresh breeze making it lumpy. For a reef break, the wind direction is just wrong for most of this period.

We finally get a change in the second week. On Monday, 10th August, the swell direction swings to the south-southwest. The size is small, around 3ft to 4ft, but the period is very long, 17 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell. The combined energy is moderate. The wind is still a cross-onshore, so it’s not clean, but it’s a sign of a change.

Tuesday, 11th August holds that same south-southwest groundswell, size around 3ft to 4ft, with periods of 16 to 17 seconds. The wind is light, and the combined energy is getting up there (1087). The conditions are marginal, but it's the best we’ve seen since that Wednesday. The light wind is a major positive, and that long period will push some nice lines through the reef.

So, to wrap it up: the best on offer is Wednesday, 29th July. The morning has a clean 7ft east-northeast swell with a light offshore breeze, and the afternoon goes glassy. That’s the one to circle. The second week has a promising but less certain long-period groundswell from the south-southwest around the 10th and 11th of August, but the wind isn't perfect. Crowds are likely at Ammonias, so get there early for that Wednesday session.

Rusty.

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