Black Rocks Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty, and I’ve been staring at the charts long enough to know what’s coming. Let’s have a yarn about the surf at Black Rocks Jetty this fortnight.

We’ve got a bit of a slow start, but the waiting is worth it. The first few days, from Saturday the 18th to Sunday the 19th, are pretty ordinary. The swell is weak, around 3 ft to 3 ft from the SSW, and the wind is a cross-on, so you’re looking at choppy, messy conditions. The water temperature is 76°, which is about 2° warmer than usual for this time of year – a nice little anomaly, but not enough to get you excited about the waves. Not much to do but sit on the beach and wait.

Then Monday the 20th, a real shift happens. The wind goes glassy, and the swell jumps to 7 ft from the SSW, with a period of 14 seconds – that’s a proper groundswell, with good energy (combined energy of 1987). This is excellent for experienced surfers, but it’s a bit too big for beginners. The break is a reef, so that long period will give you some nice, lined-up waves, but be aware that the consistency is very consistent here, and it’s exposed to the swell. The optimum swell direction is SW, and we’re getting SSW, which is close enough for this spot.

Tuesday the 21st morning keeps the energy high, with 6 ft from the SSW and a clean, cross-off wind from the NNE. This is still a standout, with the combined energy at 1002. The afternoon gets a bit cross-on, so get out early.

We’ve got a few days of okay surf from Wednesday the 22nd to Friday the 24th, with swell dropping to 4 ft to 6 ft, and glassy spells on Thursday and Friday mornings. It’s clean, but not the big stuff.

Now, the real standout is Sunday the 26th of July. The morning shows a 5 ft swell from the SW with a period of 21 seconds – that’s a very long-period groundswell, and the combined energy is a massive 2321. The wind is glassy. This is a reef break, so that long period is going to produce some beautifully shaped, powerful waves, but it’s for experienced surfers. The afternoon gets a bit bigger, up to 7 ft, with a cross wind, so the morning is the pick.

Then Monday the 27th of July is another cracker. The morning brings 8 ft from the SSW, with a 16-second period and glassy conditions. The combined energy is 3554. This is expert territory, but absolutely pumping. The afternoon is similar, with a touch of cloud.

Tuesday the 28th of July sees the biggest swell of the run, at 10 ft from the SSW, with a 16-second period. The morning is a bit onshore, but the afternoon is glassy, with a combined energy of 4986 – that’s a heap of power. Only for experts, and you’ll need to be on your game.

The rest of the run into early August stays solid, with 3 ft to 8 ft swells, but the wind is mostly glassy or light. The consistency is very consistent, so there’s always something to ride. The best sessions are the mornings of the 31st of July and 1st of August, with clean 5 ft and 5 ft SW swells. The crowd can be an issue here – it’s listed as “sometimes” busy, so on the big days, expect company.

The one true standout across the whole run is the morning of Sunday the 26th of July. That 5 ft, 21-second period groundswell, with glassy wind, at this reef break – it’s going to be unreal. The second best is the afternoon of Monday the 27th of July, with the 8 ft swell and glassy conditions. Get out there, but be ready for the crowd.

Rusty.

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