Blue Bowls Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming our way for the next couple of weeks.

Right now, we’ve got a bit of a slow start. The first recommended session doesn’t pop up until Thursday morning the 16th, so there’s a gap at the front end with nothing worth paddling out for just yet.

Thursday 16th July rolls in with some waist-high swell from the SSW, about 4ft, with a nice long 14-second period. It’s a groundswell, so it has good shape and energy – the combined energy is moderate at 833. Water temp is sitting at 85°, which is pretty average for this time of year. The wind is a light cross-shore though, not ideal, so the conditions are only marginal. It’s a so-so start.

Things start shaping up better from Saturday 18th July. The swell drops a touch but pushes up to 5ft from the SE, period short at 8 seconds. The big news is Saturday afternoon: the wind goes glassy, dead calm. That’s a major positive – clean, smooth faces. Energy is moderate (427). This is a nice window for an intermediate surfer at Blue Bowls (reef). The swell direction from the SE matches the optimum SE direction for the break, and it’s consistent here, though crowds are possible sometimes. On Saturday afternoon, this is one of the true standouts so far.

Tuesday 21st July morning sees a clean cross-offshore breeze from the NE with 2ft SSW swell, 13-second period. Good conditions, but small. The afternoon picks up to 4ft from the SSE, still clean with cross-off winds. Not a standout, but a solid, fun day.

Now, let’s talk about the real highlight. Thursday 23rd July – this is the one to circle. Morning has 5ft SE swell with a 10-second period and a clean offshore wind from the NNW, glassy early. The combined energy is a solid 662. Conditions are rated very good. This is the best on offer in the first week. Friday 24th holds similar quality with 5ft SE swell and clean cross-offshore winds.

The weekend of 25th-26th July stays fun. Saturday morning has 4ft SSW groundswell (14s) with clean cross-off wind. Sunday morning 26th July goes glassy again, with 5ft SE swell, 10-second period – energy at 688. Clean conditions again. Another standout morning for those who like it smooth.

Then we hit a rough patch. From Monday 27th July onward, the wind turns onshore from the SE, blowing 9-12 mph, and the surf gets messy. The swell really pumps up toward the end of the month – by Wednesday 29th July afternoon we’re looking at 8ft SSW swell with a very long 20-second period, and massive combined energy of 6051. But the onshore wind is strong at 12 mph, making it blown-out and poor. This is only for experts, and even then, the conditions are rough. The long period groundswell will be breaking straight and fast – better suited for a reef or point, not ideal here with the chop.

Thursday 30th July stays big at 8ft from the SSW, period 18 seconds, but still onshore. Energy is still huge (3686). Not recommended for paddle surfing in these conditions – the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. Things finally taper off by Friday 31st July, but the wind stays onshore or cross-onshore.

Bottom line: The first true standouts are Saturday 18th July afternoon and Thursday 23rd July morning, with Sunday 26th July morning also a clean gem. After that, the second week gets big and messy with strong onshore winds – promising for size, but not for quality. Keep an eye on the forecasts for those later dates, as long-range calls are less certain.

Rusty.

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