Apollo Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for Apollo Bay.

The window kicks off with a solid run of clean, rideable waves, then builds into a serious pulse of energy mid-week, before it all gets a bit messy toward the end of the first week and into the second. There’s a proper standout couple of days, but also some long gaps where you’ll want to leave the board in the truck.

Monday 27 July starts us off nicely. A clean 4ft to 4ft SW groundswell is rolling in with a gentle cross-off breeze. The combined energy is moderate at 415, building to 718 by the afternoon. It’s clean, it’s fun, and the swell period is a solid 11 to 13 seconds, giving the waves some shape. This is a good, honest start to the run.

Tuesday 28 July gets a bit more interesting. Tuesday morning sees the swell bump up to 5ft SW with a very long period of 16 seconds, and the energy jumps to 1097. The wind is a fresh cross-off from the NW at 19 mph, so it’s still clean. But the afternoon is the real treat. The swell hits 6ft from the WNW, period 15 seconds, and the wind switches to a fresh offshore from the WNW. That’s a beautiful combination. The energy is a strong 1547. This is glassy, clean, and powerful. This is your best window.

Wednesday 29 July is where it gets serious. Wednesday morning the swell has jumped to a massive 15ft from the SW with a 16-second period, and the energy is a whopping 16080. That’s a lot of water moving. The wind is a strong cross-off from the SW, so it’s clean, but at this size, only for the experienced crew. The afternoon is even bigger, with 16ft SW swell and 15476 energy with a fresh offshore wind. This is expert territory. If you’re a beginner, stay on the sand. For the pros, this is a proper session.

Thursday 30 July sees the swell drop back quickly to 5ft SW in the morning, with a moderate offshore wind, and the energy is 978. The afternoon drops further to 4ft. It’s cleaner, but the power is gone. A nice recovery day.

Friday 31 July is a small 4ft SSW swell, with light cross-off winds and moderate energy in the 555 to 638 range. Clean, but not much push.

Now, from Saturday 1 August through to Thursday 7 August, it’s a long stretch of marginal or poor conditions. The swell drops, the wind turns onshore or cross-shore, and the energy plummets. There’s a small window on Sunday 2 August afternoon with a 5ft SW swell and clean cross-off wind, but it’s not going to be firing. The gap from Saturday morning through to Thursday afternoon is pretty much a write-off.

Friday 8 August morning shows a tiny 3ft SW swell with a clean cross-off, but the energy is weak at 354. It’s a faint hope, nothing more.

Saturday 9 August is a poor day with strong, lumpy wind.

Sunday 10 August afternoon offers a glimmer: a 3ft SW swell with a moderate offshore wind and clean conditions, energy at 527. It’s small but clean.

Monday 11 August brings another big pulse. An 12ft SW swell with a 13-second period and a clean cross-off wind. The energy is a strong 5154. This is another one for the experts only.

The standout is clearly Tuesday 28 July afternoon. The combination of 6ft WNW swell, very long period, and a fresh offshore wind makes for clean, powerful, and well-shaped waves. Apollo Bay is a beach-and-point setup, so that long period groundswell will work well on the point if it’s lining up. The crowd factor is “sometimes,” so you might have company, but it won’t be a circus. This is the one to circle on the calendar.

The big warning: Wednesday 29 July and Monday 11 August are both over 8ft. That’s big, powerful water. Beginners, stay well clear. For the experienced, it’s a serious session.

Overall, the water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing unusual there.

Rusty out.

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