Apollo Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, with a look at what’s coming up for Apollo Bay. We’ve got a big, raw start to the outlook, but it’s one for the experienced crew only. The water’s sitting at 59°, which is a touch warmer than usual for this time of year—nothing crazy, but you’ll notice it.

The first real swell hits on Tuesday, the 14th of July. We’re talking a solid 18ft swell from the WSW, with a very long 16-second period. The combined energy is massive, over 19,461. That’s a lot of water moving. The wind is a fresh offshore from the W, so the surface will be clean, but this is way too big for anyone but experts. Apollo Bay is a beach and point setup, and with that long period, it’ll be lining up nicely on the point, but the raw power is intimidating. Tuesday afternoon drops to 13ft from the SW, still huge, with a cross-off breeze.

Wednesday the 15th still has a solid 13ft swell from the WSW in the morning, with a moderate offshore wind. It’s still heavy, but the energy is dropping to 7,600. By Wednesday afternoon, the swell backs down to 7ft from the SW, with a gentle offshore from the W. That’s clean, but still a big drop in size.

The standout window for experienced surfers really opens up from Thursday the 16th through Friday the 17th. Thursday morning has a 8ft SW swell with a 15-second period, light offshore wind, and clean conditions. The energy is moderate at 2,285. Friday the 17th is the pick of the bunch: a 6ft SW swell in the morning, but by Friday afternoon we get a 7ft SW swell with glassy conditions—zero wind. That’s clean, lined-up surf, and the period is a very long 16 seconds, so expect long, powerful waves with good gaps between sets. The energy is 2,247. This is the best on offer for experienced surfers.

Saturday the 18th is smaller, with 4ft in the morning and glassy conditions, but it’s dropping fast. Sunday the 19th is even smaller, with 3ft waves. The rest of the week into the 20th and 21st gets marginal, with small, weak swells and mostly clean but unexciting conditions.

Then there’s a bit of a pulse around Wednesday the 22nd of July. The afternoon shows a 6ft swell from the WSW, with a moderate offshore wind from the WNW. The period is a shorter 10 seconds, but the energy is 884 and the wind is clean. It’s a modest option, not a standout.

The following week from the 23rd to the 29th is mostly marginal, with swells between 2ft and 7ft, but the winds are often cross-off or cross, and the wave comments are pretty ordinary. There’s nothing there that’s going to get you out of bed.

So, to wrap it up: the best session is Friday the 17th of July, afternoon. That 7ft SW swell with glassy conditions and a long period is your best bet for a proper, clean, powerful wave. Thursday the 16th is also solid. Everything else is either too big, too small, or too ordinary. If you’re not an expert, wait for the smaller days later in the month, but don’t expect much.

Rusty.

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