Castles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gotta be straight with you – this 16-day outlook for our region is a tough one. We’ve got a real dry spell on our hands. Looking at the whole picture, the only break on the cards is Castles, and it’s going to be a long, frustrating wait for anything worthwhile.

The first solid opportunity doesn’t roll in until the 8th of July, and even then it’s just a one-hit wonder. We’re looking at a massive gap of nearly a week from now until then with basically nothing to get excited about. The water temp is running at 75°, which is a whopping 4° warmer than what we usually see this time of year. That’s weird and notable.

Let’s break it down. The first few days are a complete write-off. Saturday the 4th and Sunday the 5th are tiny – 1ft of weak, short-period swell from the SE. The wind is messy, and it’s just poor conditions all around. Monday the 6th isn’t any better, with a choppy onshore breeze ruining the 2ft waves. Tuesday the 7th sees a jump in size to 4ft – 5ft from the NE, and the wind is clean and offshore, but the period is a terrible 6 seconds. The combined energy reading (161-172) is moderate, but that short period means it’s just bumpy, weak lines. Not worth it.

Wednesday the 8th is your one and only standout in the whole 16-day window. For the morning, Castles cleans right up. We’re looking at a solid 4ft of swell from the NE with a slightly better 7-second period, but the wind is a clean 15 km/h cross-offshore breeze. The combined energy jumps to a strong 297 (moderate wave energy). The forecast says "expect good surf conditions." This is the best we get, so if you’re keen, make the call for Wednesday morning. The crowd factor is “sometimes” here, so you might have company but it won’t be a circus.

After that Wednesday morning window, it all falls apart. The afternoon on the 8th goes onshore, and from Thursday the 9th right through to the end of the period on Sunday the 19th of July, it’s a constant battle of small, weak swell and poor wind. Most of the time the swell is between 1ft and 4ft, but the wind is onshore or cross-shore, and the period is short. You’ll see a few glassy moments on the 11th morning (3ft, 9-second period) and again on the 18th morning (1ft, glassy), but both are rated as "poor surf conditions." The energy is weak (20-134), and the waves just aren’t there.

Honestly, there’s no second runner-up here. The whole period is a bust except for that one Wednesday morning. If you’re a kite surfer, some of those stronger onshore wind days might look more interesting than what we’ve got for paddling, but for us surfers, it’s a lean run. It happens.

- Rusty

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