Dunes Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, let’s talk about the Dunes forecast over the next couple of weeks. It starts off real slow, but there’s a proper pulse of energy coming later if you can wait it out.

The first few days, from Sunday the 26th to Monday the 27th of July, are a total dud. Swell is tiny, just 2ft to 2ft from the southwest, and conditions are poor. The combined energy is weak (163 to 138), so don’t even bother.

From Tuesday the 28th through Thursday the 30th of July, it’s still pretty average. The swell sticks around 3ft to 3ft, but winds are cross-off or cross. The energy starts to build a bit (253 to 424), but the surf is only marginal at best. Not worth getting wet.

Now, Friday the 31st of July finally gives us something. The morning is still marginal with a 3ft SW swell (475 energy), but Friday afternoon the wind drops to glassy. That’s a game-changer. The swell is 3ft from the southwest with a very long 18-second period – that’s proper groundswell, with combined energy of 567. For a reef break, that long period means better shaped waves and easier paddling. This is the first real highlight. Hit the water in the afternoon.

Saturday the 1st of August looks good in the morning with a 4ft SW swell (502 energy) and a light offshore from the SSE. It’ll be clean. The afternoon turns cross-shore, though, so make it an early one. Sunday the 2nd of August gets a bit bigger, with a 4ft swell (616 energy) in the afternoon, but the period is short at 11 seconds, so it’s not as clean.

The start of the week from Monday the 3rd to Wednesday the 5th of August is mostly average. One nice window is Tuesday the 4th of August afternoon: glassy winds, a clean 4ft southwest swell (353 energy). That’s a nice mellow session.

Then we get to the big stuff. Friday the 7th of August morning is a standout. The swell jumps to 6ft from the southwest with a 16-second period, and the energy hits 1287. The wind is a light cross-off from the south, keeping it clean. That’s a serious groundswell and it’ll be excellent, but at 6ft, it’s getting too big for beginners. If you’re experienced, get on it.

Saturday the 8th of August morning is the big one. The model shows a 7ft southwest swell (2622 energy) with a 17-second period. That is a very large, powerful groundswell. The wind is cross-off and clean, but the forecast says it’s predicted to be too big for this break. This is strictly for experts only. After that, Sunday and Monday the 9th and 10th of August stay big with 6ft to 7ft swells and strong energy (1454 to 2407), but the wind is strong offshore on Monday morning at 28 mph – it’ll be clean but a real fight to paddle into.

So, the two true standouts are Friday afternoon the 31st of July for a glassy, long-period session that’s great for intermediates, and Friday morning the 7th of August for experienced surfers wanting some real power.

This is a consistent reef break exposed to the southwest swell, and crowds can show up sometimes, so keep your eyes open.

Rusty.

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