Camel Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s on the table for Camel Rock over the next couple of weeks. I gotta be straight with you – it’s a bit of a slow burn to start, and the wind’s not playing nice for a while. But there’s some serious size lurking in the second week for those who can handle it.

The pattern starts off quiet. For the first few days, from Sunday the 12th of July through to Thursday the 16th, the swell is small to moderate, but the wind is a constant cross-onshore. The water’s sitting at 54°, which is a touch colder than usual for this time of year. The wave energy is pretty weak early on, hovering around 239 to 898, meaning not a lot of push. The swell period is short, around 7 to 9 seconds, so the waves are fat and sloppy. Honestly, for the first few mornings and afternoons, you’re looking at choppy, poor surf. Not worth paddling out unless you’re just desperate for a splash.

Things start to shift a little on Friday the 17th of July. The swell pushes up over 7 ft, coming from the NW with a short period of 8 seconds, and the energy jumps up to four digits – 1120 to 1199 – which is solid, but the swell is a bit raw. The wind is still cross-onshore, so it’s not clean. But the raw power is there. This swell is big enough that beginners might struggle; over 8 ft and it’s expert territory.

If you’re after the standout session, you want to look at Wednesday afternoon, July 20th. That’s our little gold window. The swell drops back to a manageable 5 ft from the NW, with a period of 9 seconds. The energy is moderate at 577. But the real story is the wind – it goes glassy. Yes, glassy. A slight air breeze, no chop, the surface will be like a mirror. Expect good surf conditions. That’s the morning and afternoon you point your car at Camel Rock.

After that, Tuesday and Wednesday the 21st and 22nd are back to average – small swell, cross-onshore breezes, poor to marginal conditions. Not much to write home about.

Then we get into the heavy stuff. From Thursday the 23rd right through to Sunday the 26th of July, the NW swell ramps up hard. We’re talking 8 ft to 10 ft with energy readings hitting 1279, 1574, even 1448. This is proper, powerful swell. But here’s the catch – it’s still got a short, crumbly period of 8 to 9 seconds for most of it, and the wind mostly stays cross-onshore or onshore. On Friday the 24th, the swell hits a peak at 10 ft with the same NW direction. The wind is light and onshore in the morning, but it gets messy in the afternoon.

The biggest waves are for experts only – over 8 ft – and the short period means it’ll be a lumpy, challenging paddle at a sandbar like Camel Rock. If the wind flips offshore, it could be epic, but as it stands, it’s heavy and a bit messy. Kite surfers might have a better time on the really big days with the consistent cross-onshore wind, because for a paddle surfer, the setup looks more interesting for them than for us.

Sunday the 26th brings another pulse – 10 ft from the NNW – but again, cross-onshore wind and short period. It’s big, it has energy, but it’s not clean.

Wrap up: The one true standout is Monday afternoon, July 20th, for that glassy, chest-high 5 ft surf. The long-range stuff from the 23rd onward is promising for size but uncertain for quality due to wind. Keep an eye on the charts, but for now, mark the 20th in your calendar.

Rusty.

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