Ditch Plains Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the table for the next couple of weeks.

The pattern is pretty grim for a while. We’ve got a stretch of proper flatness and messy, wind-affected junk before we finally see a narrow window of something rideable. The only real spot on the radar is Ditch Plains, a reef break that's exposed to the swell.

The water's running a bit colder than normal for this time of year, sitting at 69°F.

For the first ten days, it’s mostly a write-off. We’ve got a mix of small, weak swell and strong, cross-shore winds that are just wrecking any chance of a clean wave. The combined energy is low, often under 100, and the periods are short, meaning the waves are weak and choppy. There’s a spike on Monday the 3rd with some bigger swell – 7ft – but it’s paired with 28 mph cross-onshore winds and heavy rain, making it a total mess. The combined energy hits 486, but it’s not for paddling; that setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Things finally look up on Tuesday the 4th. The morning shows a window of clean surf. A light offshore wind from the northwest is blowing, and the swell is 5ft from the south with a period of 8 seconds. The combined energy is a moderate 284, so there’s some push. The wind is clean, which is a major positive. The crowd situation at Ditch Plains can be often busy, so expect company. This is the standout session of the entire outlook. The swell is over 5ft, so it might be a bit too much for beginners, but it’s a good, solid intermediate size.

After that Tuesday morning, it goes back into a familiar pattern of small, weak, or wind-affected slop. There’s a brief moment on the morning of Tuesday the 11th where the wind goes light and cross-off, cleaning up a tiny 3ft south swell, but it’s hardly going to get your heart racing. The rest of the second week is mostly flat with glassy but tiny conditions, like the 2ft glassy spell on the 12th afternoon, which is essentially a lake.

So, the bottom line: if you’re keen, your only real shot is Tuesday August 4th in the morning. It’s the one clean, surfable window in a 16-day stretch of otherwise poor conditions. The rest is a long gap of no recommendations.

Rusty.

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