Deadman's Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve checked the charts for the next 16 days, starting now on the 30th of July, and straight up, it’s a tough stretch. There’s a bit of swell around but the conditions just aren’t playing ball for clean, quality waves. We’re looking at Deadman’s, a beach and reef setup that’s fairly exposed and likes a north-west swell, but the wind is mostly cross or cross-on, keeping things messy. The water is sitting at 62.1°F, which is a whopping 5.2°F warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s definitely notable and a bit weird.

Let’s run through it. Thursday the 30th morning you’ve got a 6.6ft WNW swell, but with a short period of 8 seconds and a 9.3 mph cross wind, it’s just not good. The combined wave energy is weak (871) but the onshore vibe kills it. Afternoon is even worse with 15.5 mph cross-on wind. Friday the 31st is more of the same: lighter morning wind at 6.2 mph but the swell drops to 4.6ft and period is still short. Afternoon gets chopped up again by afternoon sea breezes. Saturday the 1st of August shows a bit of hope in the morning – a 6.9ft NW swell with a light 3.1 mph cross wind, but the period is only 8 seconds and the wave comment calls it marginal. The combined energy is moderate (822) but the cross-chop is still there. Afternoon turns ugly again.

Sunday the 2nd of August morning is your best bet. Swell holds at 6.9ft from the WNW, period stretches to 9 seconds, and the wind is a light 6.2 mph cross breeze from the SSW. The combined wave energy is moderate (717) and it’s the closest thing to clean we’ll see all week. It’s an advanced wave, so not for beginners, but if you’re confident, that’s the window. Early Monday the 3rd of August is still okay with a 6.2ft swell and 10-second period, but the wind is cross again. After that, it’s a slow decline.

From Tuesday the 4th of August onward the swell drops below 5ft and the comments are consistently “poor surf conditions” or “marginal” at best. There’s a couple of days in the second week, like Thursday the 6th of August morning, with a tiny 3ft swell, and then we start seeing a shift in direction toward the south-west from Saturday the 8th of August. That brings longer periods – 16 to 19 seconds – but the swell height is under 3.3ft, and the wind is still cross or cross-on, so it’s mostly a dribble. The combined wave energy for those south-west swells stays weak (117 to 460), not enough to do anything with. The pattern of poor surf stretches on with a big gap of no good options from the 5th of August right through to the end.

Honestly, there’s only one standout: the morning of Sunday the 2nd of August. It’s not epic, but it’s the most rideable of a tricky lot. The north-west swell, decent 6.9ft height, and light winds make it the only session worth paddling out for. After that, save your energy. The set-up at Deadman’s with the persistent cross and cross-on winds is going to look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing through most of this period. A bit of a downer, but that’s what the data’s saying. Later.

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