Canoes Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking.

We’re looking at Canoes, a beach and reef setup that’s very consistent. The water’s sitting at a pretty normal 80°F for this time of year, so nothing unusual there. The first real chance to get wet kicks off Tuesday morning, July 28th. We’ve got a solid 7ft easterly swell rolling in with a 13-second period, and the wind is a clean offshore from the NE at 25 km/h. That’s going to produce some excellent, clean lines, but with combined wave energy hitting 1820, this is a powerful one. It’s definitely for the experienced crew only – over 8ft, so leave the foamies at home. The swell direction is from the east, but the optimum here is SSE, so it’s a bit off-angle, but the quality of the energy should still make for some solid, hollow waves. Afternoon holds similar size at 8ft, but the conditions get a bit more marginal.

Wednesday morning, July 29th, things get interesting. The swell drops to 6ft from the ENE with a 10-second period, but the wind goes completely glassy. That’s the kind of magic that makes a reef setup like this come alive. It’s a smaller, cleaner window, perfect for threading some long lines. The wave energy is a moderate 909, so much more manageable. The afternoon keeps it clean with a light offshore breeze, dropping to 6ft.

Thursday the 30th sees a drop in size and quality. The wind swings cross-offshore, making it choppier, and the swell is smaller and weaker. By Friday and into the weekend, the wind picks up to a strong breeze, and the swell gets raw and junky, pushing 10ft on Saturday morning. That’s going to be a washing machine – more of a kite-surfing show than a paddle-in session, honestly.

The first week of August looks pretty average. The wind stays stubbornly cross-off and strong, with swell hanging around 5ft to 7ft but with a short, weak period around 7-8 seconds. The energy is moderate at best, but the conditions are marginal. Not worth getting excited about.

Then, around August 9th (Sunday), there’s a shift. A new, long-period groundswell from the SSW arrives, with a period of 18 seconds. That’s a very long period swell, which means it’s going to wrap in nicely and hold up better at this reef. The height is small – only 3ft to 4ft – but the energy is actually moderate to strong (704 to 907) because of the long period. The wind is still cross-off, which is a bit of a bummer, but the quality of the swell is there. This is a promising, but less certain long-range option. The following Monday and Tuesday, August 10th and 11th, keep that same SSW swell with a 15-16 second period, and the wind eases to a gentle breeze. That’s a very clean, long-period window at 3ft to 4ft. For a reef, that’s a dream – long, walled-up waves with plenty of time between sets. The best bet in the whole 16-day window is the glassy Wednesday morning, July 29th, but for a long-range standout, keep an eye on that Monday, August 10th, morning.

The real standout, though, is that Wednesday, July 29th, morning. Glassy conditions, 6ft of clean swell, and a reef that’s very consistent. That’s your window. After that, it’s a lot of wind and chop until that long-period SSW pulse shows up. Crowds are always gonna be an issue at Canoes, so get in early.

Rusty.

Read more