Chernobyl Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Look, I’ve gotta be straight with you – this is about as quiet as it gets. We’ve got a 16-day window here, and there’s absolutely nothing in the way of a decent wave. The only spot on the radar is Chernobyl, and honestly, it’s not offering anything worth paddling out for. The first entry is for Sunday the 12th of July, but it’s a total write-off. We’re looking at a long, blank run with no real surf to speak of for the whole period.

Right from Sunday afternoon, the 12th, Chernobyl is showing tiny swell at 1ft from the ESE with a short period of 8 seconds. The combined energy is weak, sitting at just 28. The wind is a light onshore breeze from the east at 9 mph, so it’s not clean. The water temperature is warm at 83°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year, with the anomaly only 1°F below average. But the surf quality is rated as poor, and that’s the story for the whole run.

The following days just keep rolling out the same kind of small, weak, and messy conditions. On Monday the 13th, we get a bit of cleaner morning surf with cross-off winds from the SSW at 6 mph, but the swell is still only 1ft, and the energy is even lower at 24. It’s just not enough to get excited about. By Tuesday the 14th, the swell drops to 1.0ft and the energy falls to 16. The wind is light and cross-off, so it’s clean, but there’s hardly any wave to ride.

The pattern doesn’t change. Wednesday the 15th sees a tiny shift in swell direction to the NE, but the period is a short 7 seconds, and the energy is still weak at 34. The wind in the morning is a light cross-off from the NNW, so it’s clean, but the swell is just too small and weak. Thursday the 16th is the same story – 1ft of swell from the NE, period 7 seconds, energy at 25. The morning is clean with a light cross-off wind, but it’s not going to give you any ride worth mentioning.

We get a tiny spike on Friday the 17th afternoon, with the swell jumping to 2ft from the SE, but look at that period – a shocking 3 seconds. That’s windswell, and it’s chopped up. The combined energy is only 22. The wind is a light cross-shore from the SSE, but with a period that short, it’s just bumpy junk. The rest of the week is a dead loss. Saturday the 18th has a similar 3ft SE swell with a 4-second period in the afternoon, but the wind is cross-onshore and choppy. Energy is a measly 20.

From Sunday the 19th right through to the end of the window on Monday the 27th of July, it’s all the same. Tiny swells, mostly 0.7ft to 1ft, short periods, and weak energy values that barely reach double digits. The wind is often cross-onshore or onshore, and there’s a risk of thunderstorms from the 24th to the 26th, which will only make things worse. The last few days, the energy drops to just 7, which is as weak as it gets.

So, there’s no standout, no best on offer. The whole 16-day period is a gap. For a beginner spot like Chernobyl, it’s a tough stretch. The consistency is fairly consistent normally, but the swell just isn’t there. Forecasts can change, but right now, leave the board at home. This is a total skip.

Rusty

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