Eastern Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s in store for Eastern Beach. This is a sandbar set-up that’s inconsistent and exposed to the open ocean, so you gotta be patient and pick your moments. The water’s sitting at 63°, which is a whopping 5° colder than usual for this time of year – that’s a proper cold snap, so a thick steamer is non-negotiable.

The first real chance to get wet comes Friday afternoon, the 17th of July. It’s cloudy with a light cross-off breeze from the SW, and there’s a clean 5 ft swell from the SSW rolling in with a 12-second period. The combined energy is moderate at 718. It’s not massive, but it’s clean and the conditions are very good for a surf. This is a solid opener.

Saturday the 18th keeps things going. The morning is a bit smaller at 4 ft from the S, but with almost no wind – just a slight air – it’s looking glassy clean. The afternoon pushes up to 5 ft, still from the S, with a gentle breeze. Sunday morning on the 19th is clear with a light breeze; the swell drops slightly to 4 ft from the S, but the energy is still decent at 514. Sunday afternoon, however, the wind picks up to 12 mph from the SW, and the swell jumps to 6 ft from the SSE. The energy climbs to 814, but the wind is a bit stronger, making it less appealing.

Now, here’s the standout. Monday morning, the 20th of July. The wind goes glassy – dead calm from the SW – and the swell is a clean 5 ft from the SE with an 11-second period. The combined energy is a meaty 928. This is the best of the early window: clean, glassy, with good energy. The crowds are only sometimes a problem, so you might get a few out, but it’s worth the paddle.

Monday afternoon gets a bit messy with an onshore ENE breeze, and Tuesday the 21st sees cross-on winds and a drop in quality. The swell goes small and the period gets long on Tuesday afternoon – 3 ft from the SSW with a 15-second period – but it’s light cross-on, so not ideal for this sandbar.

Wednesday the 22nd is a write-off with a 22 mph cross-off breeze in the afternoon, and Thursday the 23rd is only so-so with a moderate offshore wind but smaller, cleaner lines. The 24th of July, Friday, shows a solid 6 ft SSW swell with a very long 17-second period and energy at 1591, but the wind is light cross-on and the conditions are marginal for this break.

The second week big picture: the 27th of July, Monday morning, looks excellent for experienced surfers. A 4 ft swell from the SSW with a 16-second period, light cross-off breeze, and the energy is a whopping 1946. The waves will have real punch and shape, but the long period means it’ll be better if you’re surfing a point or reef – on a sandbar, it might break a bit too straight. Still, the conditions are clean.

After that, things get big. The 28th of July, Tuesday, sees a 10 ft swell from the ENE with a short 9-second period and strong winds – that’s for experts only, and it’s also choppy and messy. The 29th of July, Wednesday morning, is glassy with a 7 ft ENE swell, but period is still short at 8 seconds. That’s big, clean, but only for the crew who know what they’re doing. The 30th of July, Thursday morning, is glassy again with an 8 ft E swell – also big and clean, but expert territory.

The 31st of July and 1st of August show persistent 10 ft ENE swells, with the morning of the 1st looking clean with a cross-off breeze, but the swell is too big for this break. The energy readings are through the roof – 2720 and 2494 – but it’s not a paddle-in sort of day for most.

So, to sum it up: the best on offer is Monday morning, the 20th of July – glassy, 5 ft SE swell, moderate energy, clean. That’s your window. The 27th of July morning is a close second for experienced surfers, with a clean, powerful 4 ft SSW groundswell.

Rusty.

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