Apache Pier Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what the next couple of weeks are serving up.

Honestly, it’s a pretty flat and frustrating run ahead. We’ve got a long stretch of tiny, wind-affected surf that’s barely worth paddling out for. The first real flicker of hope doesn’t show up until Friday, July 10th, but even that is only just hanging on.

Right now and through to the end of next week, it’s a story of weak, short-period swell. The water is sitting at a warm 84°F and is running a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. For the first few days, waves are tiny – around 1 ft to 1 ft – with light to moderate cross-onshore breezes making a mess of things. There’s zero energy to work with, and the combined swell energy is barely registering (21). It’s a write-off.

We move through the weekend of the 5th and 6th, and it’s still lean. The swell bumps up slightly to 3 ft on Monday morning, but it’s a short period (6 seconds) and the wind is cross-onshore. The water stays warm and the energy is still weak (55). Not worth getting excited about.

The pattern of small, grotty surf continues through the middle of the week. Tuesday and Wednesday (7th and 8th) offer a brief window of cleaner conditions with some cross-offshore wind, but the swell is a pathetic 2 ft to 3 ft. The energy just isn’t there. One morning on Wednesday the 8th, you get a glassy moment with light cross-offshore wind, but it’s on a tiny 2 ft swell – you’d be better off on a foamie if you’re desperate.

The one standout, and I mean the *only* one, is the morning of Friday, July 10th at Apache Pier. We see a jump to 4 ft of SSW groundswell, with a period of 7 seconds and a combined energy of 237 – finally, some proper push! The morning is looking clean with a light cross-offshore breeze from the WSW. This is the best on offer, but don’t expect perfection for a beginner; at 4 ft, it’s a bit much for some learners, but for everyone else, it’s the only real session of the run. The dominant swell direction is close to optimum from SSE, so it should wrap in okay.

After that little tease, it’s back to the doldrums. The weekend of the 11th and 12th sees small, clean-ish waves in the morning but with weak energy (50-64). The combined swell energy is moderate at best. Then from Sunday the 13th onward, we’re back to tiny, weak surf with a messy mix of onshore winds and stormy afternoons. The rest of the 16-day window is a total blank – nothing more than 3 ft and almost always with crummy wind.

If you’re a kite surfer, the afternoon winds on the 6th and 7th (fresh cross-onshore) might be more your speed than paddling into the slop. As for us surfers… it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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