Conto Springs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, gather 'round. Rusty here, and I've been staring at the charts for Conto Springs. This is a solid run, a proper reef setup that knows how to handle a south-west swell. We've got a good stretch ahead, but you've gotta pick your moments.

The water is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, sitting at 67°, so that's a nice little bonus for the winter sessions.

The real action kicks off on Wednesday morning, the 22nd. We're looking at a solid 12ft SW groundswell, with a period of 16 seconds pushing in. That's a lot of water moving, with a combined energy of 5788 – that's proper, strong energy. The wind is light ESE, holding offshore, making for some clean, heavy lines. This is expert territory, pure and simple. Don't even think about it if you're not confident, because 12ft at a reef with that kind of period is asking for a beatdown. The standout session is Wednesday morning, with that glassy offshore wind, but the afternoon holds up well too, with a 15-second period and 4982 energy. That's the best on offer, a true standout.

Thursday the 23rd backs off a touch. The morning sees a 8ft SW swell, but the wind swings NE and goes cross-shore, so it's a bit messy. The afternoon is where it's at. The swell drops to 8ft, but the wind goes glassy, a perfect SW breeze at 3 mph. That's a window of absolute perfection, clean and smooth. It's still a solid size for the reef, but much more manageable.

Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th are write-offs. The wind turns onshore and the swell gets lumpy and choppy. Don't bother.

Sunday the 26th is a full-on storm event. We're talking 15ft to 16ft with near gale-force winds. That's not surfing, that's survival. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, honestly.

Then we get a second pulse. Monday the 27th afternoon is a beauty. The wind goes SSE, holding offshore, and we've got a clean 10ft SW swell with a 16-second period. It's a big, powerful wave, but it'll be lined up and on offer for experienced surfers.

Tuesday the 28th morning is another good window. Clean 8ft surf with light ENE cross-offshore breeze. Solid.

After that, it gets a bit inconsistent and a bit cross-on for a few days, but the swell is still there. The next true standout doesn't pop up until Monday the 3rd of August. That morning, the wind is almost nothing, a slight SSE breeze, and we've got a 8ft SW swell with a period of 18 seconds. The energy is 3636, solid. But the absolute gem is Monday afternoon. The swell jumps to 8ft, the period stretches to 19 seconds, and the energy is 4346. That's a long-period groundswell that will be breaking perfectly down the reef. It's a session for the crew who know the line-up.

Then, Tuesday the 4th of August morning is a glass-off. The wind is calm, the swell is 7ft with a 17-second period, and the energy is a massive 5279. That's a very long-period swell, and it'll be breaking straight at the beach breaks, but for the reef, it'll be a thing of beauty. That's a potential all-timer, but it's a long way out, so keep an eye on the charts.

The forecast for the end of the run, Thursday the 6th of August, gets ugly again with 16ft+ and onshore winds. That's a hard pass.

So, to wrap it up: the absolute best on offer is Wednesday morning, the 22nd, for the heavy crew. For the rest of us, hold out for Thursday afternoon, the 23rd, for that glassy clean-up, or look to Monday the 27th afternoon and Tuesday the 28th morning. The long-range promise of Monday the 3rd and Tuesday the 4th of August is exciting, but it's a long way out.

Rusty, signing off.

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