Depressions Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and let me tell you, the outlook for Depressions over the next 16 days is a bit of a waiting game. We’ve got a long stretch of junk to start with, but there’s a glimmer of something decent out there in the second week.

Right now, the surf is flat and poor. The week starts with tiny 1 ft swell from the SW on Wednesday, July 15th, and it’s messy. The morning is onshore and the afternoon is cross-onshore with a light breeze – just not worth paddling out for. The combined wave energy is low (168 in the morning, 199 in the afternoon), which is weak. Water temp is sitting at 65°, which feels a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, but that’s about the only interesting thing.

We roll into Thursday, July 16th, with a 4 ft WNW swell that has a short period of 9 seconds. It’s marginal surf, with tricky tide conditions and a cross-onshore breeze in the afternoon. The energy picks up a bit (361 in the morning, 348 in the afternoon), but it’s not clean. Friday, July 17th, is more of the same – 3 ft WNW swell, short period, light onshore wind. The afternoon drops back to 1 ft with a super long period of 17 seconds, but that’s a weak, gutless groundswell that won’t do much here.

From Saturday, July 18th, through to Wednesday, July 22nd, it’s a frustrating run of small, poor surf. The swell hangs around 2 ft to 3 ft, mostly from the SW or SSW, with periods that are all over the place (12 to 18 seconds). The energy is moderate (373 to 475), but with onshore or cross-onshore winds, it’s all chop and no shape. Thursday, July 23rd, finally shows a bit of promise. The morning is still marginal with a cross-shore breeze, but the afternoon turns glassy. The swell is 3 ft from the SSE at 14 seconds, and the energy is moderate (403). The comment says "expect good surf conditions" – this is a decent window for a beginner-friendly wave, but it’s still small.

Now, the real standout is Friday, July 24th. The morning bumps up to 4 ft from the SSE with a 15-second period, and the energy is very strong (1239). It’s a bit cross-shore, but the afternoon is where it’s at: glassy, 4 ft from the S at 15 seconds, and energy is still strong (847). The comment says "expect very good surf conditions." This is the best on offer, and it’s a solid groundswell that will wrap into Depressions cleanly. The wind is light and the conditions are glassy – it’s a perfect setup for a fun session. Crowds are "sometimes" an issue here, so you might have a few others out, but it’s worth it.

Saturday, July 25th, lingers with 5 ft from the S at 14 seconds, but the wind turns onshore and cross-onshore, making it choppy and marginal. The energy is still strong (1102 in the morning, 974 in the afternoon), but the wind messes it up. After that, the last few days of the outlook (July 26th to 30th) drop back to small, poor surf with onshore winds and weak energy.

So, the best call is Friday, July 24th afternoon. Get out there for that glassy, 4 ft groundswell – it’s the only real standout in the whole 16-day window. The rest of the run is a long slog of marginal junk, so don’t waste your energy on the early days.

Rusty.

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