Dracula Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a bit of a mixed bag coming up at Dracula over the next couple of weeks. The window’s not wide open right now, and you’ll have to pick your moments. There are some solid swells lined up, but the wind is going to be the main character in this story – it’ll chop things up plenty of the time. The first real clean windows are a few days out, and the standout runs come later in July. Let’s break it down.

Overall Pattern

Right through the 16-day period, Dracula is getting a consistent feed of NNW swell, mostly around 5.6ft to 7.9ft, with periods hanging in the 7-9 second range. That’s a shorter-period windswell, so not that deep, grunty groundswell we dream about, but there’s still some push in it. The biggest problem is the wind: it’s nearly always cross-shore or cross-onshore from the NNW, and often a fresh breeze, turning conditions to crap. But there are a few golden windows where the wind drops or goes glassy, and that’s where you want to be.

The First Few Days (Sunday 19th to Monday 20th)

Right now, it’s not happening. Sunday morning has 5.9ft swell from the NNW at 7 seconds, but with a 6 mph crosswind, it’s only marginal. The afternoon blows up to 19 mph cross-shore – forget it. Monday morning is similar with 6.6ft swell but the cross-wind kills it. The afternoons are just as messy. No good waves on offer here for the first couple of days.

Tuesday 21st July – First Real Window

Tuesday morning is where things start to look up. We’ve got 5.9ft of NNW swell (7 seconds) and the wind goes glassy – just a slight air from the NNW at 3 mph. The combined energy is moderate (345), and with that glassy surface, it’ll be clean, workable surf. That morning session is worth getting out of bed for. The afternoon gets wrecked by 19 mph cross-shore wind, so be done by lunch.

Wednesday 22nd July to Thursday 23rd July – Repeat Performances

Wednesday morning is another beauty: 5.9ft swell, 8-second period, and dead calm (0 mph) from the WNW. Glassy conditions again, with moderate energy (377). It will be clean and fun. Afternoon goes to crap with cross-onshore wind. Thursday morning is the same story – 6.2ft swell, 8 seconds, 3 mph glass – clean, moderate energy (419). These mornings are your best bet early on.

Friday 24th July to Saturday 25th July – Window Narrows

Friday morning keeps the pattern: 5.9ft, 8 seconds, dead calm glassy (368 moderate energy). Solid. Saturday morning, however, the wind turns cross-onshore, and while the swell is 5.9ft (8 seconds, 394 energy), the light cross-on breeze puts a ripple on it. It’s marginal at best – not a total write-off, but nowhere near as good as the previous mornings.

The Big Guns: Sunday 26th July to Tuesday 28th July

Here we go. Sunday 26th July morning: 7.2ft of NNW swell, 8 seconds, with a light N breeze at 3 mph coming cross-offshore. That’s clean, the combined energy jumps to strong (662) – this is a proper standout. The wave quality will be much better, and the size is solid. This is the best morning of the whole outlook. The afternoon gets smashed by 19 mph cross-shore, but that morning is gold.

Monday 27th July morning: 7.5ft, 8 seconds, glassy wind from the north at 3 mph (703 energy – strong). Another incredible morning, clean and punchy. The afternoon sees the swell build to 9.8ft, but with 12 mph cross-onshore wind, it becomes a messy, powerful wall for experts only. Tuesday 28th July morning: 7.9ft, 8 seconds, glassy again from the south at 3 mph (733 – strong). Yet another glassy morning with solid swell. That run of mornings from the 26th to the 28th is the clear highlight – big, clean, and powerful. The afternoons are all blown out.

Late July into August (29th July to 3rd August)

The swell starts to drop off after that peak. Wednesday 29th July morning has 5.6ft, 8 seconds, with a light cross-offshore breeze from the SSE – clean, moderate energy (380). It’s still fun, but the size is fading. From Thursday 30th July onward, the swell drops under 4.3ft, and the wind stays messy or cross-shore. There’s a glimmer on Monday 3rd August morning:

Read more