Costellos Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s break down what’s coming for the next couple of weeks.

The big picture: we’ve got a rough start, then a solid window of clean, punchy surf mid-week, followed by a long, flat spell. Water temp is 61°F, which is 4°F colder than usual for this time of year – that’s a notable chill, so suit up.

Tuesday 21st July is a non-starter. A light SSE wind at 16 mph is cross-onshore, and the swell is a weak 4 ft from the SSE with a short, weak period of 5 seconds and combined energy of just 100. Choppy and poor.

Wednesday 22nd July shows improvement. The morning is marginal, with a 5 ft SSE swell at 7 seconds (317 energy) and a cross-off wind from the SW at 12 mph. It’s clean, but the tide might be a factor. The real standout is the Wednesday afternoon at Costellos (reef). We’ve got a clean 6 ft swell from the SSE, period of 7 seconds, and combined energy jumping to a healthy 555 – that’s moderate to strong energy. The wind swings to a clean offshore from the WNW at 12 mph, giving us some proper shape. This is the best on offer in the whole outlook. The swell direction is from the SSE, which matches the optimum SE direction for this break. It’s a solid intermediate wave, but with the size at 6 ft, beginners might want to watch from the beach. This is a reef break that’s inconsistent, so don’t expect it to be firing every set, but when it’s on, it’s on. Crowds are possible here.

Thursday 23rd July drops off. Morning sees a 3 ft SE swell at 8 seconds (158 energy) with a clean cross-off from the NW at 9 mph. Surfable, but ordinary. The afternoon turns into a cross-on SE breeze at 9 mph, dropping the swell to 3 ft and 78 energy – poor and choppy.

From Friday 24th July right through to Wednesday 5th August, it’s a long, grim stretch. The swell stays tiny, between 1 ft and 3 ft, with periods mostly under 8 seconds and combined energy rarely breaking 100. The wind is a mess of onshore and cross-onshore directions, with the only brief moment of glassy conditions on Sunday 26th July morning – but even then, the swell is only 3 ft at 7 seconds (63 energy). It’s surfable, but barely. There’s a 10-day gap here with no proper recommendation. The blank run is real, and it’s a tough one for the area.

So, to sum it up: if you’re a keen surfer, your window is Wednesday 22nd July afternoon. That’s the one to circle. The rest is a battle against small, weak, and messy surf. For anyone thinking of a paddle, it’s a waiting game. For kite surfers, the gusty onshore winds on the bigger days might look more interesting than what’s on offer for a surfboard.

Rusty.

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