Atlantic Terrace Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, I’ve had a look at what’s on the cards for Atlantic Terrace, and I gotta be straight with you – it ain’t pretty. For the foreseeable future, we’re looking at a long, grim stretch of poor surf conditions. The first real chance of anything half-decent doesn’t come around until Friday the 10th of July, and even that’s a humble offering.

The whole period starts off flat and messy. From Monday the 6th right through to the end of that week, we’ve got a constant run of onshore and cross-shore winds, mostly from the east, with the swell energy all over the place. The combined energy of all swells directed here is weak to moderate, hovering mostly between 58 and 173. Water temperature is sitting at 68°F, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Now, let’s talk about the one little window that might get your heart beating – a tiny bit, anyway. On Friday the 10th of July, in the morning, conditions clean up. We get a light offshore-ish breeze from the west, and the sea turns glassy. The swell is small, running 2ft from the south, with a period of 6 seconds. The combined energy is only 44, so it’s weak. The comment from the guidance calls it “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” This spot, Atlantic Terrace, is a beach and reef setup that is fairly consistent and exposed to swell. The optimum swell direction is from the southeast, which we aren’t getting that day, but the clean conditions make it the standout on offer – purely because everything else is rubbish. The wave size is small, so beginners can have a go, but don’t expect any barrels.

After that, it slides back into messy cross-shore and onshore winds for days. There are no other true standouts until Thursday the 16th of July morning, where we get another clean window with a cross-off breeze from the west-northwest, running 3ft from the south, period 7 seconds – again, ordinary but clean. Then, on Friday the 17th of July morning, we get completely glassy conditions with zero wind, 2ft swell from the south, period 7 seconds, and the combined energy is weak at 85. That’s as good as it gets in this stretch – small, clean, but very ordinary. The swell period is still short, under 8 seconds, so it’s windswell, not groundswell.

For the rest of the forecast, from Saturday the 18th right through to Tuesday the 21st of July, it’s back to onshore chop, poor surf, and bury your board. From the 18th onward, the combined energy drops into the weak 20s to 80s. Honestly, if you’re after anything with a pulse, you’re better off waiting for the next system to roll in. It’s a long, blank run, and this sort of quiet spell is pretty normal for the area.

The only real standouts are those two windows of clean, small surf: Friday the 10th of July morning and Friday the 17th of July morning. Both offer glassy or near-glassy conditions, tiny waves for the beginners, but nothing for the crew looking for power. The rest of it? Leave it.

Rusty

Read more