Castles Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Castles.

We’ve got a bit of a slow start, but the first real showing is on Friday, July 31st. The morning is clean with a 3ft SW swell, but it’s only groaning along with a moderate combined energy of 480, so it’s not exactly firing. The afternoon is where it gets a little more interesting – the swell bumps up to 3ft from the SW, but the period stretches to 14 seconds, giving it some real push. The energy jumps to 608, and the wind is a gentle cross-offshore breeze. It’s clean, it’s rideable, and for a late Friday session, you could do a lot worse.

Saturday, August 1st sees a bit more size, with a 4ft SW groundswell (17-second period) in the morning. The energy is up to 765, but a fresh 30 km/h cross-offshore wind makes it tricky. The afternoon gets bigger – 5ft SW – and the energy hits 1094, but the wind swings cross-shore and it gets a bit lumpy. Not the best.

Sunday, August 2nd is a write-off. Strong onshore winds and a 5ft to 6ft SW swell make for poor surf. The energy is massive, but it’s all junk. Wind is just too strong from the wrong direction.

Monday, August 3rd is a bit of a mixed bag. The morning shows a 6ft SW swell with a light cross-shore breeze, and the energy is 1273. It’s marginal, but the afternoon sees a drop to 5ft with a gentle cross-shore. There’s potential for a few clean-ish ones if you pick your tides.

Now, Tuesday, August 4th is a real standout. The morning has a 4ft SW swell but with a beautiful offshore breeze from the NE at 30 km/h. The energy is 542, and the wave comment says it all: “expect very good surf conditions.” It’s clean, the swell is from the optimum direction, and the wind is perfect. This is the session to aim for.

The following week gets a bit messy. Wednesday, August 5th has a 3ft SW swell but with a screaming 30 km/h wind, and Thursday, August 6th has a glassy morning with a 4ft SW swell (energy 733) and a slight air – very clean. The afternoon picks up to 5ft, but the wind gets cross-shore.

The huge highlight, though, is Saturday, August 8th. The afternoon delivers a 8ft SW swell with glassy conditions. The energy is a massive 2199. This is heavy, clean, and powerful. It’s for experienced surfers only – this is big, strong groundswell. The break is a reef, so expect it to really stand up and pitch. If you’re comfortable in that size, this is the best session of the whole 16-day window.

After that, it’s a gut-wrencher. From Sunday, August 9th through to the 15th, the wind turns onshore and brutal. We’re talking near-gale force winds from the west and WNW, with swell heights over 10ft and combined energy in the thousands. This is pure, blown-out chaos. The water temperature is around 60°, which is about normal for the time of year.

So, the call is clear: if you want a clean, fun, manageable wave, hit Tuesday, August 4th in the morning. If you want a serious, heavy, and powerful session, you want Saturday, August 8th in the afternoon. Everything else is either marginal or blown out.

Rusty.

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