Blackhead Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get into it.

We’ve got a classic Blackhead (point) run ahead, and it’s a slow starter. The first solid window isn’t until Sunday the 12th, so you’ve got a few days of small, ordinary stuff to sit through. The water’s sitting at 55°, which is pretty much bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

Things kick off proper on Sunday morning, July 12th. The swell is a clean 3 ft from the SSW, with a period of 14 seconds giving it some real energy (441). The wind is glassy from the WNW, so it’ll be smooth as a mirror. That’s your light start, and it holds through the afternoon with a similar 3 ft swell and glassy NE wind. Good, small, clean fun.

Monday the 13th drops off a bit. The swell gets smaller and the wind turns cross, so it’s a day to do something else. Tuesday the 14th is surfable but nothing to write home about—small, ordinary waves with a short period, but the wind is clean at least.

Now, the real standout is Thursday the 16th. The morning has a 2 ft swell from the ESE with a very long period of 15 seconds (263 energy). That’s a groundswell, and on a point break like Blackhead, it’ll set up some nice lines. The wind is light cross-off, so it’ll be clean. The afternoon gets a bit more power with 3 ft and a 17-second period (554), but a strong S wind kicks up, so it’s a bit messier.

But the session you want to circle on your calendar is Friday, July 17th. Both morning and afternoon deliver 5 ft to 5 ft of ESE swell with a 15-second period (1092 and 1188 energy). The wind is light cross-off, and the conditions are excellent. This is the pick of the first week. It’s solid for experienced surfers, but not so big it’s out of reach for a confident intermediate.

The second week really turns up the dial. Sunday the 19th morning is a beast: 10 ft from the S with a 19-second period (6204 energy). That’s a massive groundswell. The wind is light cross-off, so it’ll be clean and thumping. This is for experts only—too big for beginners and a serious challenge for most. The afternoon drops to 8 ft, still big but a bit more manageable.

Monday the 20th holds at 6 ft from the S with good offshores, another solid day for experienced surfers. Things get huge again from Wednesday the 22nd through Friday the 24th, with swell heights over 13 ft and energy readings in the thousands. The morning of Thursday the 23rd is a standout for the big-wave crew: 16 ft from the ENE, 12-second period, light cross-off, and exceptionally clean. That’s a proper big-wave day.

After that, it slowly drops through the weekend. Saturday the 25th still has a strong 8 ft, and by Sunday the 26th it’s back down to a more friendly 4 ft. The last few days of the month are small and ordinary again.

So, to sum it up: the best of the best? Friday the 17th for a solid, clean, powerful session that’s accessible to most experienced surfers, and Thursday the 23rd for the big-wave hunters. The rest of the run has plenty of action, but those two are the standouts.

Rusty.

Read more