County Line Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s cooking at County Line for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you – the start of this run is a bit of a bummer. For the first few days, we’re looking at a whole lot of poor surf conditions. The water is a crazy 69°F right now, which is a massive 6°F warmer than usual for July – that’s really unusual, almost like bath water. But the waves? Not much to write home about. Saturday the 18th has a tiny 2ft swell from the SW with a long 18-second period, but a cross-shore wind is making a mess of it. The wave energy is weak (231), and it’s just not worth paddling out for.

Sunday the 19th and Monday the 20th are more of the same. You’ll see a little bump in energy on Sunday afternoon (620) with 3ft, but the wind is cross-shore, ruining any chance of a clean face. On Monday morning, we get a bit of onshore wind with a 4ft swell, but it's only a "marginal" call. The whole first week is a write-off for any decent paddle surfing; the wind just won't cooperate.

Now, things start to get a little more interesting around Friday the 24th. We see the energy jump up to 672 in the morning, with a nice 2ft SW swell and a very long 24-second period. The wind is a light cross-onshore, so it’s not perfect, but it's an improvement. There’s a morning session on Saturday the 25th that looks like the best of the early run. We’ve got light, variable air (almost glassy), a 2ft SW swell with a long 21-second period, and the energy is pumping at 833. The wind is onshore, but it’s barely a breath. That’s your window for a clean, long-period groundswell. Just remember, that long period (over 15 seconds) can make it break a bit straight at a beach break, but County Line handles it okay.

The following week is a slow grind upwards. From Monday the 27th through to the end of the month, we’re consistently seeing 3ft to 4ft swells from the SSW, with moderate energy readings (in the 600s to 800s). The morning sessions are the call, with mostly light cross-on or onshore winds. The standout in this whole stretch is probably Thursday the 30th of July. The swell is building to 5ft from the S, with a period of 15 seconds, and the energy hits 940 – the strongest we’ve seen. The wind is a light cross-onshore, so it’s going to be a little lumpy but powerful. That’s a solid, fun size for an intermediate.

Heading into the first week of August, the size holds. Saturday the 1st of August still has a 5ft S swell in the morning, but the wind is onshore, and it’s already looking a bit messy. By Sunday the 2nd, the swell drops back to 4ft and the energy fades, with the wind turning cross-shore again in the afternoon. Nothing really stands out as a must-surf session in that second week.

To be honest, the whole 16-day window is a bit of a mixed bag. The best surf is going to be those early morning windows when the wind is light, especially around the 25th and the 30th. It’s a consistent spot, so it never stays flat for long, but the wind is the enemy here. If the wind stays cross-shore, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing on most afternoons.

Rusty, signing off.

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