Beacons Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This is Rusty, and I’m looking at the Beacons stretch over the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the start of this period is a bit of a tough one. The surf is small and the conditions are just not cooperating. We’ve got a few days of marginal surf, but the quality is really lacking. The first real opportunity to get wet is on Thursday, July 30th, but even then, it’s a struggle. We’ve got a 4ft swell from the S with a 13-second period, giving us a moderate amount of energy. The wind is light from the W, right onshore, which is not ideal for clean lines. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual there. The tide is likely making things tricky. It’s a very consistent spot, but the swell direction is better from the west, and we’re getting it from the south, so it’s not grooming the wave properly.

Friday, July 31st, is a little more of the same. The swell drops to 4ft in the morning, still from the SSW, with a 14-second period. The energy is still decent, but the wind is still light onshore from the W. By the afternoon, the swell is down to 3ft and the energy drops. It’s still marginal.

Then we hit a real flat spell. From Saturday, August 1st, all the way through to Thursday, August 14th, the forecast is just a series of poor surf conditions. The swell drops right off, staying below 3ft, and the wind is mostly cross-onshore or onshore, making it choppy and messy. The combined energy drops to as low as weak during the middle of the week. It’s a rough stretch for paddle surfing. The setup is a beach and reef mix, so with the wind and small swell, it’s looking more like a kiteboarding session than a proper surf. The waves are just too weak and wonky for a decent ride.

Even when the swell period gets long, like on Friday, August 7th, with a 19-second period, the swell height is only 2ft, so it’s just not enough push. Same story on the 10th and 11th with the 20-second period. Long period groundswell is great for shaping up a wave, but you need some size to go with it. At this size, it’s barely a ripple.

The only small glimmer comes right at the end of the period, on Tuesday, August 11th, in the afternoon. We get a 3ft swell from the SSW, with an 18-second period, giving a moderate amount of energy. The wind is light onshore from the WSW. It’s still classified as marginal, but that long period has some potential if the tide co-operates. It’s a long shot, but it’s the best-looking window in the second week.

So, overall, the best on offer is a tough call. There’s no standout. The early part of the window (July 30th-31st) is the most consistent, but it’s far from perfect. For the rest of it, I’d be looking for a different spot or a different hobby until the 14th. The forecast confidence is reasonable for the next few days, but the long-range stuff is a bit uncertain. It’s a lean time for Beacons.

Rusty.

Read more