Asakawa Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let's talk about the next couple of weeks at Asakawa.

The first few days are a bit of a tease, with some tiny waves but not much to write home about. We’ve got a slow start, but the end of the first week and into the second is where things get interesting. There’s a big gap of no real surf from the 31st through the 1st, with just tiny, poor conditions. Saturday the 2nd of August is the first time we see a pulse of proper swell, and it turns into a proper run.

The Standout: Wednesday, the 6th of August, is the big one, but it's for experts only. The early morning session on the 6th will see a massive 25ft swell from the SE, with a very long period of 18 seconds. The combined energy is an astronomical 33,184 (very strong). That’s a serious amount of water moving. The wind is a moderate cross-shore, which isn't perfect, but the sheer size and power will be something else. This is not a day for the faint of heart. The afternoon on the 6th stays huge at 23ft from the SSE, but the wind turns cross-onshore, making it a bit of a battle. Thursday the 5th of August is also huge, with 18ft swell from the SE and a good 18-second period, and light cross-shore wind. The combined energy is 17,158 (very strong). That’s another big day, but the wind is a little better than the 6th.

Before that, the 2nd of August is a nice warm-up. Sunday morning, the 2nd, we see a 2ft swell from the ESE with a long 18-second period, and a light cross-offshore wind. The combined energy is moderate (335). It’s clean, and the water is a touch warmer than normal at 84° for the time of year. The afternoon builds to 4ft from the ESE, still with that 16-second period and clean cross-offshore wind. The energy jumps to 579 (moderate). It’s a good, clean start to the run.

Don't Sleep on the Second Week: After the big stuff passes, the 10th of August (Monday) looks like a gem. The morning brings a 4ft, 13-second swell from the E with an offshore wind and combined energy of 865 (moderate). The forecast says "expect very good surf conditions," and that's a window of clean, fun waves. Then on the 11th of August (Tuesday), we have a glassy morning with a 4ft, 13-second swell from the ESE and energy of 906 (moderate). The afternoon is dead flat calm, glassy, with a 4ft swell from the same direction. That’s a solid day for a point break setup.

The 12th and 13th of August drop off in size, with 2ft to 3ft swells, but the winds are still clean or glassy. Good for a longboard on a quiet day, but nothing to get excited about.

Crowds & Caveats: Asakawa is a point break and is inconsistent. It doesn't break all the time, so when it does, it can get crowded. The crowds are listed as "sometimes," so you can expect company on the good days, especially the 5th and 6th of August. The very long period swells (18 seconds) will be great for this point, meaning nice, lined-up waves, but with those big swells, the paddle out will be a mission between sets.

The Letdown: From the 8th of August, things get messy. The 8th and 9th see a lot of onshore wind and risk of thunderstorms, with the swell dropping fast. It’s not worth paddling out for.

So, to sum it up: the 2nd of August is a clean start, the 5th and 6th of August are proper, expert-level big-wave days, and the 10th and 11th of August offer a second, more manageable window of clean, glassy conditions. The rest of the run is small or blown out.

Rusty.

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