Broadway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Well, mate, this is a tough one to call. Broadway’s been given a bit of a raw deal for the next couple of weeks. The whole period’s looking flat and gutless—don’t expect much more than knee-high slop for days on end. The water’s sitting at a warmer-than-normal 76°F, which is unusual for the time of year, but that’s about the only interesting thing happening.

We kick off from Friday, July 10, with a tiny 1ft SSE swell on a weak 6-second period, and a light cross-onshore breeze. It’s a struggle just to call that surf. The wave energy is barely a whisper at 23 (moderate wave energy? Not here). Saturday the 11th starts dead calm with glassy conditions, but the swell drops even smaller—0.7ft from the SSE and period still at 6 seconds (10 energy). That’s a flat spell with no push. The afternoon picks up a stiff 25 km/h cross-offshore wind but still only 1.0ft. We just aren’t getting any size.

Sunday the 12th through to Thursday the 16th is more of the same: tiny waves from the south or southeast, mostly under 2ft, with wind states flicking between cross-off and onshore. The energy values hover in the single digits to low 20s—weak stuff. The only highlight in this entire first week is Monday morning the 13th, where we push up to 3ft from the east at 7 seconds and energy climbs to 104 (moderate wave energy). That’s still poor conditions, though, with a light cross-onshore.

After that comes a serious lull: from Thursday afternoon the 16th right through to Sunday the 19th, we’re seeing little more than ankle-biters—0.3ft on the 18th, period stretched out to 13 seconds but that’s just a long wait for nothing. Energy stays feeble, barely reaching 46 at best on Sunday the 19th, with a choppy cross-onshore.

The second week starts to show a pulse, but it’s still not good. Monday July 20 delivers a clean 3ft SSE swell with a fresh cross-offshore breeze at 35 km/h—energy hits 99 (moderate wave energy). That’s clean, but only a beginner would be tempted. Tuesday the 21st sees the biggest swell so far: 4ft SSE at 9 seconds, energy jumping to 188 (moderate wave energy), and clean cross-off winds in the morning. That’s actually the best of the bunch, but it’s only a step up. Wednesday the 22nd gives us 4ft from the SSE (229 energy), still on the small side, with a gentle cross-shore.

It’s from Thursday the 23rd that we start getting some real size, but with it comes a warning. Swell hits 5ft in the morning (336 energy) and pushes to 6ft by the afternoon (416 energy), both from the SSE at 8 seconds—short period, onshore winds the whole time. That’s choppy, messy, and closing out. That’s expert-only territory size-wise but with terrible conditions. Friday the 24th eases slightly to 5ft (215 energy) but stays onshore. By Saturday the 25th we’re back below 3ft.

Honestly, if you’re after a clean wave, the standout is Tuesday morning, July 21. That 4ft SSE groundswell at 9 seconds with clean cross-off winds is the closest we get to something rideable. But it’s still small, and with crowds often at Broadway, you’ll be fighting for scraps. For most of the forecast, the wave energy is just too weak—even the bigger days are spoiled by onshore wind and short, shifty swell. This setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Rusty

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