Downtowns Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Yo, what’s up? Rusty here, checking in with your local surf outlook for the next couple of weeks. It’s been a bit quiet to start, but hold tight – things are about to get real good.

The first surf worth paddling out for hits Saturday morning, July 25th, at Downtowns – a reef break that’s fairly consistent and fairly exposed to the southwest swell. The water is sitting at 80°, which is about average for this time of year, nothing out of the ordinary. Saturday morning serves up a clean 4ft SSW swell with a 15-second period, but the wind is a light cross-shore, so it’s marginal. The real kicker comes Saturday afternoon when the wind shifts to a gentle offshore from the ESE – that’s when it cleans right up. Still 4ft SSW swell, but the wave energy is moderate (903).

Sunday, July 26th, morning brings a bigger pulse: 8ft SE swell, period 9 seconds, with clean cross-offshore wind. The energy is moderate (1761). That’s a solid size, more for experienced surfers. Sunday afternoon drops to 6ft SE with a moderate offshore, still clean.

The standout action really revs up from Thursday, July 30th, through the end of the first week into August. Thursday afternoon at Downtowns is a major highlight – pure glassy conditions, a 3ft SSW swell, but with a 19-second period pumping strong wave energy (1370). That’s a long-period groundswell, which will bend nicely around this reef.

Then the next several days are pristine. Friday July 31st morning and afternoon are both glassy, with 4ft SSW swell and periods around 17 seconds – wave energy climbing into the strong range (1214–1377). Saturday August 1st is the real gem: glassy all day, peaking at 6ft SSW swell with an 18-second period and wave energy hitting 2101 – that’s powerful, clean, and lined up for the reef. This is the best on offer: expert-level, clean, and consistent. Sunday August 2nd stays glassy with 5–7ft SSW swell, and energy topping 2516 – very strong.

The second week holds more promise. Tuesday August 4th afternoon sees 6ft SW swell with a 16-second period and clean cross-offshore wind (1851 energy). Wednesday and Thursday stay clean, with swell around 5–6ft from SSW. Friday August 7th gets a bit choppy from cross-shore winds, but Saturday August 8th and Sunday August 9th bring the biggest swell of the whole run: 10ft SSW groundswell at 17–18 seconds, with very strong wave energy (5104 and 5058). This is expert-only territory – huge, powerful, and clean with cross-offshore wind. If you’re good enough, that’s your window.

So the long story short: the first couple of days are okay, but from Thursday July 30th through to the end, it’s a feast of clean, glassy, powerful SSW swell at Downtowns. The standout days are Saturday August 1st and Saturday August 8th. Crowds are possible here, so get in early.

This is Rusty, signing off.

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