Ammonias Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s talk about what’s cooking at Ammonias.

Look, I’m gonna be straight with you – the next couple of weeks aren’t exactly going to have us scrambling for the wax. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, with a lot of marginal conditions and some proper lumpy, cross-onshore stuff. The water is sitting at a warm 80°, which is pretty standard for this time of year, so no surprises there.

We kick off Thursday the 23rd of July, but it’s a real struggle. We’ve got some small swell, around 3ft to 3ft, coming from the SSW, but it’s wrapped in a choppy, cross-onshore wind. The combined energy is still pretty meaty at 1141, but it’s just messy. Not the one.

Friday the 24th is a bit of a weird one. The morning sees a jump in size to 7ft, but it’s a short-period 7-second ENE windswell with a nasty cross-shore wind. That’s going to be a lumpy, bumpy mess. The afternoon cleans up a little with a long-period 17-second SSW groundswell at 3ft, but the wind is still cross. It’s a frustrating tease.

The weekend and into the following week is a real grind. Swell stays in the 3ft to 3ft range, mostly SSW groundswell through Saturday, but the wind never really gets out of the cross-shore zone. Sunday the 26th is the best of the early bunch, with clean skies and a moderate cross-shore breeze, but the waves are small and the energy is dropping. Monday the 27th sees the swell shift to the east and the energy takes a real dive down to 650, so it’s pretty weak.

Now, here’s where it gets a little interesting. Tuesday the 28th of July, the swell bumps up to 6ft from the ENE with a 13-second period, and the energy is building back up to 1324. The wind turns more cross-offshore on Tuesday afternoon, with the swell at 7ft, and the report says "clean". That’s our first real window of decent shape. For a reef break that’s fairly consistent and exposed to the swell, this is a decent look.

Wednesday the 29th of July is the standout, but it comes with a big caveat. The morning is looking good – 8ft of ENE swell, 11-second period, and a clean cross-offshore breeze. The energy is pumping at 1471. That’s the best we’re going to see. But, the afternoon turns into a risk of thunderstorms with a 12 mph onshore wind, and the swell jumps to 8ft on a short 10-second period. That’s a major drop in quality. The morning is the window, but be aware that 8ft is getting a bit big for beginners, and the long period groundswell might make it a bit fat and straight on a beach break, but it should shape up nicely on the reef.

After that, it’s a rough slide. The end of July and start of August are dominated by short-period, 7-second ENE windswell in the 5ft to 6ft range, with fresh cross-shore winds making it lumpy. It’s a tough stretch of poor to marginal conditions. The combined energy is dropping, too.

We get a bit of a reprieve on August 5th with a jump back up to 7ft from the ENE at 12 seconds, with moderate cross-shore winds. It’s still marginal, but the energy is solid at 1307. It’s a promise, but it’s a long way out.

Honestly, for the whole 16 days, the only real standout is the Wednesday morning (July 29th) session at Ammonias. The 8ft of long-period ENE groundswell with clean cross-offshore wind is the best combination on offer. The morning of Tuesday the 28th is also a decent second option if you can’t wait. The rest of the time, it’s a lot of paddling for not much reward.

Signing off, Rusty.

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