Dolphinarium Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, ol' Rusty here with a look at the conditions ahead. Gotta be straight with you – the next 16 days are looking pretty grim for a proper paddle. I've combed through the numbers, and it's a long stretch of small, weak, and messy surf.

The whole forecast period is a near-total write-off. We're talking about a solid 9-day gap from now until the end of the month with basically nothing worth talking about. The swell is tiny, the period is short, and the wind is usually junk. The only faint glimmer of hope is a little window around the end of the month and into August, but even that's a gamble.

Let's start with the pick of the litter, which is a real “maybe” situation. On Friday morning, July 31st, Dolphinarium might just about be surfable. We’ve got a cross-offshore wind from the SW at 6 mph, which is a big plus for a clean surface. The swell is a meagre 4 ft from the WNW, with a short period of 8 seconds. The combined energy is moderate at best (207), so it's not going to be anything powerful. It's a beginner spot, and it's fairly consistent, but with crowds possible, you'll have company for the small, clean waves on offer. The water temp is a very warm 84°, a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

The next morning, Saturday, August 1st, is similar but smaller. Dolphinarium again has a light SW cross-off at 6 mph, making for clean conditions. Swell drops to 3 ft from the WNW, and the energy is moderate (143). It's surfable, but it's a classic "ordinary" day with small, weak waves.

For the rest of the week leading up to that, forget it. The wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore, the swell is knee-high at best, and the period is short and weak. There's a brief pulse on Saturday, July 25th, with a morning swell of 5 ft from the WNW and a period of 8 seconds, giving a moderate combined energy of 351, but the wind is cross-off from the SW, so it might be clean. However, the forecast says "marginal surf or questionable tide conditions," so it's a dicey one. The afternoon gets ruined by a cross-onshore wind anyway.

After that brief window at the end of July, we're back to flatness. From August 2nd onwards, the swell drops right off. The morning of the 2nd is glassy but with a tiny 2 ft swell, so it's a flat, oily lake. Not a wave in sight.

So, to sum it up: we've got a massive drought of good surf. The one standout is the morning of Friday, July 31st at Dolphinarium, but even that's a small, clean day for beginners and longboarders. Everyone else, I'd say dust off the kiteboard because this stretch of small, weak, and onshore swell is going to be more interesting for the kite crew than the paddle crew. Keep your eyes on the charts, though – it tends not to stay this flat forever.

Rusty.

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