Chapadmalal Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty. Let's have a look at what's on the table for Chapadmalal. It’s a quiet start, but things start to shape up towards the end of the month and into early August.

Right now, we’re looking at a bit of a flat spell. The first few days, from Tuesday the 21st through to the end of the week, are pretty grim. The swell is tiny, mostly around 1ft to 3ft, and the wind is all wrong—onshore or cross-off at best. The water is sitting at 51°F, which is *much warmer* than usual for this time of year, a solid 4°F above the norm. That’s a nice little anomaly, but it doesn't help the surf right now. The combined energy is weak, barely registering (86). It’s not worth paddling out, plain and simple.

We get a slight glimmer on Thursday the 23rd morning, with a clear sky and a light northerly cross-off. Swell is still small at 2ft, period a short 7 seconds. It’s surfable, but ordinary. The energy is still weak (98). This pattern of small, weak swell with marginal winds continues right through until the 29th.

Now, the first real standout appears on Thursday the 30th. That morning, we see a SSE swell building to 5ft with a longer period of 11 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to a solid 556. It’s still a little cross-onshore in the morning, but by Thursday afternoon, the wind goes glassy. Glassy. That’s a major positive. You’re looking at clean, 5ft SSE groundswell with zero wind. This is the pick of the forecast window. Chapadmalal is a point break, and a long period SSE swell is right in its wheelhouse. The water’s still unseasonably warm, so you won’t need the thickest wetsuit. This is for everyone, not just experts.

Friday the 31st morning keeps it going with a light offshore NW wind and the same 5ft SSE swell. Expect very good conditions again, though the wind shifts cross-off in the afternoon. The energy stays high in the 500s.

From Saturday the 1st of August, the wind starts to get messy again - cross-shore and then onshore, spoiling the otherwise solid 5ft+ swell. There’s a lot of energy in the water (658 on the 2nd), but onshore winds ruin it. You'd need to be a glutton for punishment.

The next real window opens Monday morning the 3rd of August. We get a clean 5ft swell from the ESE with a 10-second period, and light NNE cross-off winds. The energy is strong at 540. It’s not quite as perfect as the Thursday glass-off, but it's solid, clean, and very surfable. After that, the winds strengthen through the week, with strong breezes and cross-off or cross-onshore conditions making it tough.

So, to wrap it up: the first week is a write-off. Your absolute best bet is Thursday the 30th of July afternoon at Chapadmalal – that glassy, 5ft SSE groundswell is the highlight. Friday the 31st morning and Monday the 3rd of August morning are also very solid options. Don't sleep on the unseasonably warm water.

This is Rusty, signing off.

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