Carolles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty checkin' in from Carolles. Bit of a tough outlook this one, I gotta be straight with you. Lookin' at the whole 16-day window, there's just not much on the cards. The first proper chance at anything rideable doesn't really show up until the very end. We're talking about a long dry spell with a lot of tiny, gutless waves and messy wind for the first couple of weeks.

Right from Thursday the 16th of July, it's a non-starter. Tiny 0.3ft to 2ft slop with periods as short as 3 seconds, and the wind is all over the shop – cross, cross-on, and even a 16 mph N wind on Thursday afternoon. That's just a choppy mess, with wave energy barely registering (6). The weekend's no better. Saturday the 18th has a bit of an onshore W wind but only 0.7ft on offer, and Sunday the 19th is clear but with a 16 mph cross-off wind and 0.3ft. It's a complete flat spell.

This poor run of tiny surf carries right on through the next week. We're seeing days of 0.3ft with 12 mph to 19 mph cross-off and cross winds. The combined wave energy is often as low as 1 or 2 – truly weak. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no strange anomalies to report, just a lot of nothing.

Now, the real interesting part comes at the very tail end of the forecast. On Wednesday, the 29th of July, the swell finally shows a pulse of life. We start seeing a 2ft to 3ft W swell with a period bumping up to 8 or 9 seconds. The combined energy jumps to 52 and then 101 by Wednesday afternoon! That's moderate wave energy kicking in, but the catch is a fresh 22 mph NNW cross-on wind. It'll be lumpy and messy, but there's power there. Thursday the 30th stays similar, with a 2ft W swell, 9-second period, and moderate energy (81), but still a cross-shore north wind. Friday the 31st is maybe the best bet of the entire run: a 3ft W swell from the WNW with an 8-second period, combined energy of 85, and a lighter NW cross-on breeze at 9 mph. It's clean-ish, but the direction isn't ideal for Carolles which likes a WNW swell, and it's a beach and reef setup, so onshore winds bring chop. For a beach break, this set-up with that much cross-swell in the water and onshore winds looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. But for a dedicated surfer, it's the only window where you might find a few lumpy, workable waves.

So, honestly, there's no standout. If you're desperate, the 29th to 31st of July offers the most power, but don't expect perfection. The rest of the time, leave the board in the car. Forecasts can change, but this looks like a long stretch of flat for Carolles.

Rusty.

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