Depressions Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – the next 16 days at Depressions are a real mixed bag of mostly small, choppy slop and a few rare windows of clean, rideable waves. The water is sitting at 67°, which is a solid 5° warmer than usual for this time of year – that’s a notable difference, so you’ll be in a spring suit or just boardies if you’re tough.

The overall pattern is weak. We’ve got a long stretch of poor surf from Monday the 20th right through to the end of the following week. The first few days are a write-off with tiny, cross-onshore junk and combined wave energy around 300 (moderate) but completely messy. Tuesday the 21st through Thursday the 23rd is all onshore wind, chest-high dribble, and a lot of whitewash. Honestly, not worth paddling out for anything but a tan.

There’s a glimmer of hope on Friday the 24th morning. We get a proper groundswell pulse from the SSW with a long period of 24 seconds and combined energy spiking up to 855 (strong). The swell is only 2 ft, but that long period means it’ll wrap and hold shape at Depressions, especially with the light SW wind that’s blowing directly offshore. The morning tides might be a factor, but this is the best the forecast has to offer in the first week – clean, lined-up waves for the experienced crew.

The weekend of the 25th and 26th stays small, with that same groundswell dropping off. The wind swings onshore again in the afternoons, so mornings are your only shot at anything glassy. Monday the 27th and Tuesday the 28th are similar – tiny, but with light offshore winds and long-period energy giving you a few shoulder-high gems if you’re patient.

Now, the standout window. Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th mornings are absolute glass. The wind goes dead calm, with a light SSW breeze that’s practically offshore. The swell is coming from the SW at 2 ft with a 16-second period, and combined energy reading 503 (moderate) – that’s enough to reel off some clean, fun lefts and rights at Depressions. The crowd factor is “sometimes,” so you might share it with a few locals, but for a spot that’s fairly exposed, these are the cleanest waves in the whole 16-day run. The water is still warm, and the vibe will be mellow.

After that, we fade into another poor run. Friday the 31st and the first weekend of August are dominated by shorter-period, wind-affected swell from the SSE and WNW. The wind picks up and the waves get messy again. By Sunday the 2nd, we’ve got a 6 ft WNW swell, but it’s only 6 seconds of period and cross-onshore – that’s a washing machine, not a wave. The following Monday the 3rd and Tuesday the 4th are similar, small and choppy, with a slight uptick in energy on Tuesday afternoon (660, moderate) but still nothing to get excited about.

So, the call: if you can get out on the mornings of the 29th and 30th of July, that’s your best bet. Glassy, clean, long-period groundswell with a bit of shape. The rest of the window is mostly for the kite crew or the keenest of the keen. The water’s warm, but the waves are mostly a battle.

Rusty.

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