Dunes Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s shaping up for our local patch.

We’ve got a bit of a wait on our hands, I won’t lie. The first week is pretty gutless, with a lot of afternoons getting chopped up by the wind or just not having enough push. The real standout action is a long way off, so don’t get too excited just yet.

Let’s start with the only spot on the cards: Dunes. It’s a consistent reef break that’s exposed to the southwest swell, and it likes the swell coming from the SW. The water is sitting at 76°, which is about 2° warmer than average for this time of year – nothing too wild, just a pleasant little bonus.

The first decent window doesn’t open up until Monday the 27th of July. That morning, we’ve got a moderate offshore breeze from the SE, grooming a clean 2ft of SW swell. The period is a very long 15 seconds, which means proper groundswell energy. The combined energy is moderate at 211, so it’s got some grunt. That offshore wind will make it look clean, but that long period at a reef might mean the sets are a bit fat and slow in the lineup. Still, it’s the best we’ve seen for a while.

Tuesday the 28th of July morning is also a good call. A gentle offshore from the ESE, with 3ft of SW swell at 14 seconds. The combined energy is up a touch to 218. It’s clean, and the swell is a bit more user-friendly than the day before.

The real standout, and the one I’m most stoked about, is Saturday the 1st of August. The morning brings a clean cross-off breeze from the SSE, but the swell is a solid 7ft from the WSW, with a 15-second period. The combined energy is massive at 2630 – that’s a serious amount of power. Let’s be real, though: at 7ft, this is getting too big for beginners and is really only for the experienced crew. The reef is going to be handling a lot of water, so expect some heavy, dredging lines. The wind is clean, but the size will make it a mission. If you’re a solid surfer, this is your window.

After that, the swell drops back, but we get a few more mornings of clean, lined-up waves. Sunday the 2nd of August morning has a strong offshore from the SE at 25 mph, with 5ft of SW swell. That wind is strong, so it’ll be clean but the paddle out will be a workout. The combined energy is still strong at 904.

For the rest of the second week, the mornings are generally clean with cross-off winds, but the swell sits around the 4ft to 4ft mark. It’s surfable, but nothing to write home about. The afternoons, as usual, are mostly a write-off with onshore winds.

So, to sum it up: the first week is a write-off. The best surf is on the 27th and 28th of July for smaller, cleaner waves, and the big one is on the 1st of August for the experts. Stay patient.

Rusty.

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