Crab Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee and settle in, because I’m gonna be straight with you: the next 16 days at Crab Island are looking like a real struggle. We’ve got a long stretch of crummy, tiny surf ahead, so don’t get your hopes up too high.

The first record we’ve got is for Monday the 20th of July, and it’s a real kick in the teeth. We’re talking about a tiny 0.3ft wave from the west, with a 12-second period. The swell energy is a measly 5 (weak), and despite glassy conditions in the morning, that water temp is a very unusual 69°F – which is a massive 9°F warmer than normal for this time of year. It’s a weird feeling out there, but the waves are just too small to bother with.

The whole first week is a write-off. From Monday the 20th right through to Friday the 24th, we’re stuck with flat, 0.3ft to 0.7ft dribble. The swell energy is stuck in the single digits. Even when the wind goes glassy, like on Wednesday morning the 22nd, there’s just nothing to push you around. It’s a total surf drought.

Things start to get a little more interesting around the weekend. By Saturday the 25th, the swell picks up a touch, but it’s still a messy cross-shore mess. The highlight of the whole forecast is probably going to be Sunday the 26th of July. We’ve got a northwest swell of 4ft coming in, with a 6-second period, and the combined energy climbs to 184 (moderate). The wind is a clean cross-offshore from the NNW, which is about as good as it gets for Crab Island. It’s not a world-class wave, but it’s the best we’ll see for a while. The crowd factor is listed as “sometimes,” so you might have a few others out there, but with the surf being so inconsistent otherwise, it might be worth a paddle.

After that, we slip back into smaller stuff. Monday the 27th is glassy but tiny at 2ft. Tuesday the 28th is a bit better with a 3ft cross-off swell, but the period is short and the energy is only 42. Wednesday the 29th sees a 3ft swell with a 19 mph cross-off wind, giving a clean face but a bit of a fight to get out. The energy is 138 (moderate), which is decent, but that strong wind will make it lumpy.

The second week from the 30th of July through to the 4th of August is a real snooze-fest. The swell drops back to 0.3ft to 2ft, with periods all under 10 seconds. The only real standout is the morning of Tuesday the 4th of August, where we get a 2ft west swell with a 6-second period, and a clean offshore wind from the NNW blowing at 9 mph. The combined energy is 21 (weak), but that offshore wind will make it look a lot better than the numbers suggest. Still, it’s a far cry from a proper session.

Bottom line: this is a tough stretch for Crab Island. The best bet is that Sunday the 26th of July with the 4ft clean swell, but even that is a short-period, lumpy affair. After that, it’s a wasteland until the 4th of August, when the offshore wind might make a tiny wave feel special. It’s a long wait for not much reward.

Rusty.

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