Depressions Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, folks, Rusty here. Let's be straight with you. Looking at the next couple of weeks, it's a pretty flat and quiet patch for our shores. We're not talking about a total desert, but the ocean is going to be taking a long nap for most of this period. The good news is that when there's nothing happening, it doesn't usually stay that way forever, and the models are always liable to change.

The first real sign of life, and honestly the best of the whole run, shows up early on Friday morning, the 7th of August. The surf won't be big—a clean 1.3ft of SW swell—but the wind is forecast to be dead glassy. That's a huge plus in my book. It'll be small, clean, and contestable on the longboards. The energy is still weak, sitting at 140, but those conditions are about as good as it gets for the small stuff. This is your window if you're itching for a wave.

The swell tries to pick up a little over the weekend. On Sunday morning, the 9th, we see 1.6ft of SSW swell and, again, that magic word: glassy. It's another day for the log, with the energy wandering up to 142-149. It's ordinary, but at least it's clean. The periods are hovering around 14-15 seconds, so there's a bit of push behind it.

Then the wind shifts and things get a bit messier. From Monday the 10th through to Wednesday the 19th, it's a frustrating mix. The swell hangs around in that 1.3ft to 2.3ft range, but it's often cross-onshore or just messy. There's a bit more energy showing up on the 14th (408) and 15th (342), but the wind is more onshore and choppy, so it's going to be a bumpy, tough paddle for not much reward. We're in that "check back later" territory. This is a long stretch of nothing special, so don't hold your breath.

The one curveball in all of this is right at the end of the window. On Wednesday afternoon, the 19th, and into Thursday morning the 20th, the swell height jacks up to 5.6ft and 4.6ft, but it's from the WNW and with a short, weak 6-second period. That's a classic windswell setup, not a clean groundswell. With onshore winds forecast, it's going to be a choppy, messy, and pretty junky surf. That kind of combo is more interesting for the kite surfers ripping around than for us paddle surfers. We'll skip that.

So, to sum it up: mark your calendar for Friday the 7th and Sunday the 9th for the cleanest, if not the biggest, waves on offer. Everything else in the near term is a waiting game. The water temps are about average for this time of year, which is a relief, but the ocean is feeling pretty subdued. Patience, my friends.

Later.

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