Cactus Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee and settle in. Rusty here, with a look at what's coming up at Cactus over the next couple of weeks.

Gotta be honest, the pattern’s a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got solid swell coming from the southwest, and when the wind plays nice, it’ll be worth a paddle. The water temp is sitting at about 60°F, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The action kicks off on Thursday, the 30th of July. Clear skies and a gentle offshore breeze from the northeast will have the 5ft SW swell (784 combined energy) holding up really well. This is a good, punchy swell with a 13-second period, and it’s wrapping nicely into this reef. That’s your call to get amongst it while it’s clean.

Friday the 31st is a tale of two halves. The morning is okay with a smaller 3ft SW swell, but the wind is a bit stronger. The afternoon improves a lot. You’ll get that same 3ft of swell, but the period stretches to 14 seconds and the wind goes light cross-off. The water goes glassy and clean; it’s a proper shuffleboard. The combined energy jumps to 604, a solid sign.

Now, Saturday the 1st of August is the standout moment, but it comes with a big caveat. We’ve got a very long-period groundswell (17 seconds) pushing 5ft by the afternoon, and the combined energy hits 1091. That’s proper energy. The problem? The wind is a stiff cross-shore, putting a bit of a chop on the face. It’s going to be a lumpy, powerful beast. This is only for experienced surfers who can handle the power and won’t mind the bump. The morning is smaller at 4ft with a fresh breeze, making it tough.

Sunday the 2nd of August is a write-off. Onshore wind from the southwest hits 19 mph and the swell is over 5ft, creating poor, blown-out conditions. A hard pass.

Monday the 3rd of August is still on the messy side with light cross-onshore wind and a 5ft swell (1063 combined energy). It’s not clean, but if you’re desperate there might be a salvageable wave.

Then we get a proper winner. Tuesday the 4th of August is magic. The morning sees a 4ft SW swell with a moderate offshore breeze from the northeast, looking super clean. But the afternoon? It goes absolutely glassy. Zero wind, a 4ft, 15-second period swell, and 691 combined energy. That’s a perfect window for some smooth, lined-up waves. This is your best session of the whole outlook.

After that, it gets messy again. Wednesday the 5th has a weird mix, with a 6ft afternoon swell that’s short and cross-shore. Thursday the 6th afternoon might offer a 6ft, 15-second swell with a light offshore, scoring a good call for experienced crew, but it’s not as tidy as Tuesday.

From the 7th of August onwards, it’s a long, grim stretch. The wind blows onshore and strong for days. We get a massive 10ft SW swell on the 9th and 10th, but it’s accompanied by howling westerly wind and rain. That’s a complete mess – dangerous, lumpy, and messy, unless you’re a kite surfer. Even the last few days, into the second week of August, see the wind staying onshore. The swell period gets very long (19-21 seconds) towards the 13th and 14th, but with a full-on onshore gale, that groundswell just turns into a washing machine.

So, to keep it simple: Best on offer is Tuesday the 4th of August afternoon for the cleanest, most user-friendly session. The next best bet is Thursday the 30th of July morning. Everything else is either too windy, blown out, or just too big and messy.

Signing off, Rusty.

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