Ditch Plains Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Gonna be straight with you – the next couple of weeks at Ditch Plains are looking pretty grim. We’ve got a long stretch of messy, wind-affected conditions ahead, so don’t get your hopes up too high.

The immediate outlook is a write-off. From Monday the 6th right through the rest of the week and into the weekend, we’ve got a mix of moderate to strong cross-shore and cross-onshore winds. Swell is there, but it’s short-period, wind-driven junk. The water temp is sitting at 68°, which is just about spot on for the time of year, nothing unusual there. The combined energy of all swells is weak, often under 100, and the wave comment tells the whole story: “poor surf conditions.” It’s not worth paddling out for that.

We do have a couple of tiny windows where things clean up a bit. The morning of Friday the 10th sees a temporary improvement with a light offshore wind and a south swell of 2ft, with the combined energy down at 44. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. The same goes for the morning of Thursday the 16th – a clean 3ft south swell with a westerly cross-offshore breeze. It’s a tiny wave, but at least it’s not a washing machine.

Then, on the morning of Friday the 17th, we get a full glass-off with zero wind. The swell is only 2ft from the south, so it’s small, but a glassy morning at Ditch is always a special thing. The combined energy is just 85 – weak, but clean. It’s the best you’ll see in this forecast run, but it’s small stuff.

The final real highlight is the morning of Sunday the 19th. Again, glassy conditions with a 2ft south swell. Same story – small, clean, and likely to be crowded. For a spot that’s “often” crowded, on a glassy Sunday morning in July, you can expect plenty of company. If you’re a beginner, this is your window because the size is well under the 5ft mark.

The rest of the second week, from the 20th onwards, is back to the same old story: cross-onshore winds and tiny, weak swell. The combined energy drops to 27 and 34. It’s a real flat spell to finish the run. As for the 21st, a near gale cross-offshore wind is forecast, but with a 3ft, 4-second windswell and combined energy of 33, it’s not a surfable option. For a break that’s an exposed beach-and-reef setup, with that much wind and poor quality, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

So, to sum it up: Don’t expect much. The best bet is a glassy, small window on the mornings of the 17th and 19th. The rest? Take a long walk on the beach instead.

Rusty.

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