Downtowns Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your wettie, let's have a look at what's coming up over the next couple of weeks.

First up, we’ve got a solid run of clean, lined-up swell on the way at Downtowns (reef). Water temp is sitting pretty average for this time of year, no need to overthink the rubber. This whole stretch kicks off Saturday the 4th of July and honestly, it is going to be a proper little run for the experienced crew. That long-period groundswell is pumping in from the SSW at around 6ft with a period of 16 seconds, and the combined wave energy is reading big at (1577). With glassy conditions and light southeast winds, it’s going to be clean and offering plenty of power. The long period means the sets will come through with some serious push, and on this reef setup, it should hold really well.

Sunday the 5th is more of the same goodness – still clean, still around 6ft, glassy in the morning. The whole swell hangs in through the week, but the real standouts are the mornings of Saturday the 4th, Sunday the 5th, and the morning of Monday the 7th of July – clean, glassy, and a touch of that offshore wind on the Saturday afternoon to keep things perfect. The wave heights hang mostly between 4ft and 6ft, so it’s manageable for confident surfers but not for beginners – anything over 5ft here is going to test the groms.

The best window? Lock in Saturday the 4th and Sunday the 5th. The morning sessions are the pick with glassy faces and that long-period groundswell. It’s top-tier for experienced surfers. Expect some company though – crowds are noted as sometimes, but that’s just part of the deal when the conditions line up.

Heading into the middle of the second week, around Tuesday the 14th and Wednesday the 15th of July, the swell builds back up to 6ft with another injection of long-period SSW groundswell. The combined energy for Tuesday morning is strong (1800), but the winds start to freshen from the southeast, it's cross-off, so it'll still be clean but with a bit more texture. Not quite the silk of the opening days, but still very, very good for the seasoned surfer.

By the time we get to the weekend of the 18th and 19th of July, the consistency and quality start to drop. The swell is still there at 4ft to 5ft and SW, but the winds are up and switching to cross-shore, making things messier. The combined energy drops back (884 to 994), and it becomes more of a marginal session – still options for the keen, but nothing to set the alarm for.

If you’re not an advanced surfer, be smart – stick to the smaller mornings around the 12th and 13th of July where the swell drops to under 3ft, but even then, the period is still long and the reef can throw a punch.

Over the 16 days, there’s no real dead gap of flatness, just a slow fade after the first week. The first few days are absolutely the cream of the crop – don’t sleep on Saturday or Sunday the 4th and 5th of July.

Rusty.

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