Depressions Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. First up, I’ve gotta be straight with you – the next couple of weeks at Depressions are looking pretty grim. We’ve got a real flat spell on our hands with no real standout sessions to get excited about. The whole forecast is a bit of a struggle, so temper your expectations.

We start off on Thursday, July 9th with a tiny 4ft swell from the WNW, but the wave comment says it’s marginal, and the score is low. The water’s sitting at 64°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. The wind is light and onshore, so it’s not doing us any favours.

Friday, July 10th, we’ve got a similar story – small 3ft swell Friday morning, dropping to 2ft in the afternoon. That afternoon does see a 15-second period, which is a nice long-period groundswell, but with only 2ft of height, it’s not going to do much. The combined energy is moderate (356 in the afternoon), but it’s still a marginal call.

The weekend is worse. Saturday, July 11th, the swell drops to 2ft, and while the wind goes glassy in the afternoon, the waves are just too small and weak. Sunday, July 12th, is more of the same, with a tiny 2ft swell and a brief glassy window in the morning. The combined energy is weak (197-234), and the comments say “surfable but very ordinary.” That’s about as generous as I can be.

From Monday, July 13th, through to Wednesday, July 15th, we’re stuck with poor surf conditions. The swell hovers around 2ft to 3ft, but it’s all onshore wind and short-period junk. The combined energy is weak to moderate (190-264), but none of it is worth paddling out for.

There’s a bit of a tease on Thursday, July 16th, with a 3ft WNW swell and a 9-second period, but the wind is cross-shore and the condition is still marginal. Then from Friday, July 17th, through to the end of the forecast, we’re looking at a long stretch of flat to tiny waves. The swell is mostly between 1ft and 3ft, and the combined energy drops to as low as 55 on July 14th. The period does get long (15-18 seconds), but the height is just too small to push any real waves.

Now, here’s where it gets a little interesting, but don’t get your hopes up. On Saturday, July 18th, the combined energy jumps to 536 (moderate) as the swell starts to build, but it’s accompanied by a 9 mph cross-onshore wind making it choppy. The next day, Sunday, July 19th, shows the best potential of the whole period, with a 4ft SSE swell, a 15-second period, and a combined energy of 835 (moderate to strong). The wind is light and offshore in the morning, which is a major positive. This is your best bet, but it’s still described as “marginal,” and the swell direction (SSE) is not the optimum for Depressions, which prefers WSW. This is a promising but less certain long-range call.

The final week, from July 20th to 24th, is more of the same: small waves, onshore winds, and poor conditions. The combined energy stays moderate (222-445), but the wave comments are all “poor surf conditions” or “marginal.”

Overall, this is a tough outlook. If you’re desperate for a paddle, the Sunday, July 19th morning window is the only one to even consider, but even then, it’s not a classic. For beginners, the swell is small enough to be safe, but the quality is so low it’s hardly worth it. For experts, there’s nothing to get excited about.

Rusty, signing off.

Read more