Ammonias Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let me break down what’s coming at Ammonias over the next couple of weeks – and I won’t sugarcoat it, it’s a rough run.

This is a reef break that faces the open ocean, and it works best with swell from the SSE. But for this entire 16-day stretch, we’re stuck with cross-shore and cross-onshore winds that don’t give us a break. The water temperature is about normal for this time of year, nothing to write home about.

The forecast starts Friday morning, the 3rd of July. That first session is a total loss – rain showers, a 15 mph cross-on easterly wind, and the swell is a bumpy 5ft out of the ENE with only 8 seconds between waves. The combined energy sits at 639 – moderate energy, but the wind makes it impossible. Friday afternoon is the same story, 6ft and cross-shore, still terrible.

Then Saturday the 4th of July, things change. The swell direction swings to the south with a height of just 3ft, but look at this – the period jumps to 21 and 20 seconds. That’s very long-period groundswell. The energy readings are 1194 and 1018, so strong wave energy. The catch? It’s still a cross-shore wind at 15 mph, and the conditions are only marginal. That long-period groundswell at a reef can be special, but with the wind on it, it’s going to be choppy and hard to read. Honestly, this is the best we get across the entire 16 days – a real pity the wind isn’t right.

Sunday the 5th of July is similar, 3ft from the SSW with 18-second periods, but the rain comes back and the cross-shore wind hangs around, so it’s poor by the afternoon. From Monday the 6th of July straight through to Saturday the 11th of July, it’s a grind – 7ft of ENE short-period slop, cross-shore winds of 15 to 19 mph, and energy readings between 396 and 966. All of it is poor, just lumpy and unrideable.

There’s a gap starting after the 11th of July that runs for about a week – a long, quiet stretch of nothing but poor conditions. We get small swells from the SSW at 2ft to 3ft with decent periods from 14 to 18 seconds, but it’s all cross-shore or cross-onshore wind, moderate to fresh at 15 to 19 mph. The energy hangs between 228 and 572, which is weak to moderate, but none of it is worth paddling out for. Monday the 13th of July afternoon brings a 6ft ENE short-period pulse, but again, cross-shore and lumpy with a fresh breeze.

The last mention is Saturday the 18th of July morning – still 3ft of SSW short-period swell, still cross-onshore, still poor.

Mate, there isn’t a standout session here. The only glimmer was Saturday the 4th of July with that long-period south swell, but the wind killed it. This reef needs a clean offshore or glassy day, and we don’t get one. Keep watching the forecasts – things can turn around.

Rusty.

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