Bethune Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve gotta be straight with you – we’re looking at a pretty grim run for Bethune Beach over the next 16 days. The swell is tiny, the period is short, and the energy just isn’t there. It’s the kind of stretch where you’re better off cleaning the wax off your board or taking a long walk on the sand.

Let’s kick off with the good news: there’s not much. The water is sitting at 84°, which is about average for this time of year, so at least a paddle won’t be a shock to the system.

We start on Sunday the 12th of July with a glassy morning, but the swell is a pathetic 1 ft from the ESE with a short 8-second period, and the combined energy is a weak 24. That’s not even enough for a proper ripple. The afternoon gets a tiny bump to 2 ft, but the wind turns cross-on and it’s messy. Monday the 13th has a clean offshore morning, but the swell is still only 1 ft – it’s pretty but unsurfable.

The entire first week, right through to the middle of July, is a total write-off. You’ll see a few afternoons with cleaner conditions, like Tuesday the 14th afternoon with 2 ft of swell and a clean cross-off wind, but the energy is still a meagre 78 and the period is a short 9 seconds. The surf just isn’t there. The only real standout for a chance to get wet is Thursday the 16th of July afternoon – the data says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” with 2 ft, a 1 out of 10 score, and clean cross-off wind. That’s the best we’ve got, and it’s barely a ripple.

We then hit a dead zone from Friday the 17th through to the end of the week and into the next. The swell drops to 0.7 ft and 1.0 ft, and the energy falls into single digits. It’s flat. Monday the 20th of July afternoon offers a glassy 2 ft, but the period is a shocking 4 seconds – that’s windswell junk, not surf.

The second week stays poor. Tuesday the 22nd has a glassy afternoon with 1 ft, and Wednesday the 23rd has a clean offshore morning with the same tiny swell, but it’s all short-period, weak energy. The only other “surfable” mention is Saturday the 25th of July morning, with 1 ft, a clean cross-off wind, and a 1 out of 10 score. It’s the same story.

For a break like Bethune Beach, which is an exposed sandbar that’s inconsistent and only works with a decent ENE swell, this forecast is a total blank. The optimum swell direction is ENE, but the swell is mostly from the ESE, and it’s tiny. This isn’t unusual for the area in summer – we get these long flat spells. The forecasts can change, so don’t lose hope, but for now, leave the board at home.

Rusty

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