Castles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here, and I've had a good look at what's coming up for the next couple of weeks. Honestly, it's a bit of a slow start but there's some real gems down the line if you're patient.

The early days are a write-off: Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th are messy with light cross-onshore breezes and small, weak swell. The energy is only around 293 to 488 (weak to moderate), and the conditions are just too choppy to get excited about. Monday the 27th is even worse with a fresh breeze chopping everything up. Don't even bother packing the car just yet.

We get a bit of a lull with no real standout sessions until we hit the end of the month. There's a solid window starting Wednesday the 29th that looks like the pick of the entire forecast. The swell builds to a clean 6 ft from the SW on Wednesday morning with a 15-second period, giving it plenty of push. The combined energy jumps right up to 1716 (strong) and with a light cross-offshore breeze, the waves at Castles will be well-shaped, powerful, and clean. This is for experienced surfers only though—anything over 5 ft is pushing it for beginners, and at 6 ft, it's a proper step-up. The super long period means it'll be a bit straight at times, but for a reef break like this, it should offer some great walls. Wednesday afternoon stays clean at 6 ft and 1307 energy. Thursday the 30th morning is also a beauty with a gentle offshore breeze from the East and 5 ft SW swell at 619 energy—much more manageable and still very clean. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

The real standout, though, is Saturday the 1st of August. The morning session is already good with a glassy offshore wind and 4 ft of SW swell at 16 seconds, but the afternoon is something else. The wind drops to a slight air, the swell energy rockets to 1706 (strong), and the period stretches out to a very long 22 seconds. That's a groundswell that will wrap beautifully into the reef. The waves are 3 ft but with that energy and period, expect long, clean lines. It's a four-out-of-five quality session, absolutely pristine. Crowds are sometimes an issue here, so be prepared for a few others who've been watching the same charts.

The run continues into Sunday the 2nd of August with a solid 6 ft SW swell at 17 seconds and a clean cross-offshore breeze. The energy is 1868 (strong) and the conditions are excellent for experienced surfers again. Monday the 3rd still has size at 6 ft, but the wind picks up to a fresh breeze, making it a bit more work. Still clean, but not as perfect as the weekend.

After that, things drop off. The second week has a few flickers—Thursday the 6th morning has a clean 4 ft SW swell with a 16-second period, but only 561 energy (moderate) and a cross-off breeze. Then Saturday the 8th morning and afternoon finally see a return of offshore winds with 4 ft SW swell at 16 seconds, giving you clean, fun waves for all levels. The energy is still moderate (around 603-616), so it's a nice little rebound for the weekend warriors.

The rest of the outlook is pretty quiet, with a lot of onshore wind and small surf. The 9th of August has a tiny 2 ft swell with a very long 23-second period, but a moderate cross-off breeze—probably more of a novelty session than a proper surf.

So, to sum it up: the best waves are on Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th of July for the big stuff, and Saturday the 1st of August afternoon is the absolute standout for clean, long-period groundswell. Don't sleep on that one.

Rusty.

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