Empty Lots Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let me break down what’s cooking at Empty Lots over the next few weeks. Honestly, I’m looking at a pretty grim stretch of surf to start. The water temp is sitting at 80°F, which is about average for this time of year, so at least a dip won’t be a shock.

We’ve got a long, dry spell at the beginning. From Monday the 20th right through to Wednesday the 29th of July, the conditions are just a mess. It’s nothing but cross-shore wind, blowing from the ENE mostly between 9 mph and 22 mph, and the wave energy is all over the place. The swell is tiny, mostly around 2ft to 5ft, with a mix of S and SSW directions. The combined swell energy is all over the shop, but it’s mostly weak to moderate (between 656 and 1823). The problem is that strong, lumpy cross-chop is making it pretty much unsurfable. We're talking poor surf conditions and marginal scores for days.

The only glimmer of hope comes right at the end of the month. Tuesday the 28th of July afternoon shows a bit of life. The swell bumps up to 6ft from the E, with a period of 13 seconds. The wind drops to a light 6 mph from the ENE, coming cross-shore with only small ripples. The combined energy jumps to 2527, which is properly strong. It’s still a bit of a gamble, but those light winds make it the most promising session in the window. Wednesday the 29th also looks okay, with a 6ft to 7ft ENE swell and a 3 mph offshore wind from the SSE in the morning, plus a light cross-shore in the afternoon. The energy is strong (1418). That’s the best call for a clean-ish wave, but it’s still marginal.

After that, the wind picks right back up and the swell drops off. From Thursday the 30th of July through to Tuesday the 4th of August, we’re back to strong cross-shore winds and poor to marginal conditions. The swell gets short and weak, down to 2ft to 5ft with periods dropping to 8 seconds. The energy collapses into the low hundreds. It’s a real bummer.

So, for the standouts? Honestly, there’s nothing that gets me truly excited. The best on offer is Tuesday the 28th of July afternoon and Wednesday the 29th of July at Empty Lots. The swell is sizeable (6ft to 7ft) and the wind is light, so it should be clean. The swell direction is ENE, which is a bit off from the optimum SSE direction for this reef, but the light winds might make up for it. Keep in mind, this place is fairly consistent, but it can get crowded at times. For experts only, as that swell height is over 5ft. It’s a long period groundswell (13 seconds), so it’ll have some punch and longer lulls, which is good for a reef setup.

The rest of the window is a write-off for paddle surfing. The first week (20th to 27th July) is a total blank. With those strong cross-shore winds and that lumpy water, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Rusty.

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