Dracula Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab your board. It’s Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for our stretch of coast, focusing on Dracula. Let’s break it down.

First off, the water’s sitting at 73°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year – a nice little bonus. But don’t get too comfortable; the surf story is a classic tale of two halves. We’ve got a solid run of NW swell on the way, but the wind is going to be the main character for a lot of it.

The first few days are messy. Tuesday the 4th kicks off with a bumpy 5 ft cross-shore mess in the morning, and it just gets worse with a strong cross-shore blowing at 22 mph in the afternoon. The swell energy is moderate at 276, but it’s junky. Wednesday the 5th is more of the same – poor conditions with a fresh cross-shore. You’d be fighting it the whole time.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Thursday the 6th, the morning glass-off. The wind swings around to a light NNE cross-offshore, cleaning up that 6 ft of NNW swell. The energy jumps to 428, and it’s looking like the first real window. It’s still a short-period 7 seconds, so it’ll be a bit lumpy, but it’s rideable.

But the standout is Friday morning, the 7th. The wind dies completely to glassy, with just a slight air. We’ve got 7 ft of NNW swell with a period pushing 8 seconds. The energy is pumping at 600. This is the pick of the bunch for the first week. Dracula is a reef, so it handles this west swell perfectly. It’s advanced and very consistent, so it’ll be on. Expect some crowds, as it is a classic.

Saturday the 8th morning is also worth a look, with clean conditions and 8 ft of swell. The energy is up to 669, but the winds are a touch more cross-offshore. It’ll be good, but that Friday morning has that extra bit of magic.

After that, the afternoons are all blown out again with strong cross-shore winds, and the mornings get smaller and cleaner. Sunday the 9th and Monday the 10th have some clean morning waves, but the size drops back to 6 ft and 5 ft. Decent, but not the same juice.

We hit a bit of a lull mid-week, with poor conditions and small surf from Tuesday the 11th through Thursday the 13th. The afternoons are stormy with fresh cross-shore winds, and the mornings are mostly bumpy.

Then, the second week starts to show some promise. Friday the 14th morning has a bit more size, 7 ft, but it’s still cross-shore and a bit lumpy. The real highlight of the second week is Saturday the 15th morning. The wind goes glassy again, and there’s a solid 7 ft of NNW swell. Energy is at 496. It’s not as big as that Friday the 7th, but it’s clean. This is another one to mark on the calendar. Sunday the 16th morning is similar, with clean 6 ft waves.

After that, it fades out. Monday the 17th is marginal, and by Tuesday the 18th, the swell drops right off. By Wednesday the 19th, we’re looking at small, weak, and blown-out leftovers with a longer period but no energy.

So, my call is this: If you can, get out on Friday the 7th in the morning – that’s the one. The swell’s got some size, the wind is glass, and Dracula should be firing. Saturday the 15th is a close second for a clean session in the second week, though the size is a touch smaller. Everything else is either a battle with the wind or a wait for the next pulse.

Be patient, pick your windows, and don’t get skunked by the afternoon sea-breeze.

Rusty out.

Read more