Bay Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s talk about Bay Head. I’ve gotta be straight with you – this stretch of 16 days is a tough one for surfers. The whole forecast window is basically a long run of poor conditions, with no real standouts to get excited about. The water is running warm, about 73°, which is a solid 4° above the norm for this time of year, so it’s much warmer than usual for early July. That’s about the only thing working in our favor.

The first decent ripple doesn’t show up until Sunday the 5th, and even then it’s tiny. Sunday morning brings a weak 1ft swell from the ESE at 9 seconds, with a cross-shore breeze. The combined energy is a measly 19 – just a whisper. It’s not rideable in any meaningful way. The afternoon bumps up to 2ft but the wind swings cross-onshore, making it choppy and messy. That’s the story for the next several days: tiny, weak, and often wind-affected.

We get a bit of a lull mid-week where the swell tries to pick up a little. Tuesday the 7th and Wednesday the 8th see heights around 3ft to 3ft, but the wind is onshore or cross-onshore at 12-16 mph, so it’s just choppy, lumpy, and uninviting. The energy climbs into the 80s, but with that wind and short period around 5-6 seconds, it’s not the kind of wave you paddle out for.

The only glimmer of clean conditions comes on Friday the 10th morning, with a light offshore wind from the west at 9 mph. But the swell is only 1ft from the ENE at 8 seconds. It’s clean, but there’s hardly enough to surf. The afternoon is similar with a bit more wind but still offshore. It’s a tease.

After that, it’s back to tiny, weak, and mostly cross-onshore or onshore breezes through the second week. The combined energy stays low, mostly in the teens to 30s, with a few brief spikes into the 80s and 110s on the 20th, but those come with light cross-onshore or cross-shore winds and short period swells. The morning of the 20th sees a 4ft swell from the ESE with a period of 5 seconds and 110 energy – moderate energy, but it’s a short-period wind swell under a light cross-onshore breeze. It’s not going to be quality.

Honestly, there’s no day in this 16-day window that’s worth a dedicated trip. The setup is more interesting for a kite surfer than a paddle surfer, given the onshore wind and chop on some days. The consistency is poor, the swell is tiny, and the wind is rarely your friend. It’s the kind of stretch where you’re better off waiting for the next system to roll through. Forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a bit of a flat spell.

Rusty.

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