Depot Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s coming for Depot Beach in the next couple of weeks.

Things start off quiet, but there’s a solid run of swell coming that’ll get the stoke going if you time it right.

Saturday the 4th of July afternoon is a dud. Tiny 3ft swell from the south with a short 7-second period – barely a ripple. The water is sitting at 64°, a touch warmer than usual for this time of year. Wind is light onshore, so it’s messy. Combined energy is weak at 124. Not worth getting wet.

Sunday the 5th is where it gets big. Morning brings an 8ft south swell with a long 14-second period and very strong energy at 2758. Wind is cross-offshore and clean. By the afternoon, it’s a 10ft south swell with a 12-second period, wind goes cross-shore. That’s expert territory – too big for most. The guidance says it’s too big for this break. Only for the experienced.

Monday the 6th backs off a bit. Morning has a 7ft SSE swell with a 10-second period, moderate energy at 902. Wind is cross-shore, a little lumpy. Afternoon same size but energy jumps to 1487. Still only marginal. Tuesday the 7th has a 8ft SE swell with a 13-second period – strong energy at 2393 – and clean cross-off winds in the morning. That’s a good session for experienced surfers, but the afternoon is back to 10ft and too big.

Here’s the standout: Wednesday the 8th of July morning. Swell drops to a more workable 8ft from the SE with an 11-second period, moderate energy at 1265. Light cross-off wind from the SW, clean conditions. The guidance says excellent surf for experienced surfers. The swell direction matches the optimum SE. Crowds can be an issue here sometimes, but a Wednesday morning might be quieter. Afternoon goes smaller at 6ft with a cross-shore breeze, less interesting.

Thursday the 9th and Friday the 10th are smaller but still fun. Thursday morning has a 6ft SE swell with clean cross-off winds and moderate energy of 639 – very good conditions. Friday the 10th morning is glassy with zero wind, a 5ft SE swell, and moderate energy at 474. That’s clean and playful.

The second week is patchy. Saturday the 11th and Sunday the 12th are small: 4ft and 3ft with clean winds but low energy. Monday the 13th through Tuesday the 14th are tiny – 2ft to 2ft from the NE with weak energy under 60. Not worth paddling out.

Wednesday the 15th of July morning spikes again: a 10ft south swell with a short 9-second period and very strong energy of 2756. Too big for Depot Beach again. Only for experts.

Thursday the 16th and Friday the 17th are blown out by fresh winds and lumpy conditions – avoid.

We finish on Saturday the 18th of July with a clean 3ft SE swell and light winds – small but surfable. And Sunday the 19th of July is a gem: a 5ft ESE swell with a very long 13-second period, and the wind goes glassy or light offshore. Energy is moderate at 774. The guidance says very good surf conditions. That long-period groundswell will produce clean lines with longer lulls, perfect if you like a bit of open face. At a beach break it might run a bit straight, but with glassy conditions it’s one of the best bets of the whole run.

So, top picks: Wednesday the 8th of July morning for a solid, clean SE swell, and Sunday the 19th of July for a glassy, long-period groundswell. The long-range one is promising but less certain. There’s a few dead days mid-week, but that’s pretty normal around here.

Rusty.

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