Fairhaven Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking straight at what’s on offer for Fairhaven. Hold on to your board, because this is a wild ride.

First up, the standout in this whole forecast is the long period SW groundswell that shows up on the weekend of the 1st and 2nd of August. The water temp is sitting at 58°F which is pretty average for the time of year, nothing weird there. The real story is the swell. We’ve got a clean 8ft SW swell with a 16-second period cranking on Sunday morning, blowing straight offshore from the N at 12 mph. That’s proper, powerful, and clean. The combined energy is strong at 2835, and the offshore wind and 16-second period will make for some long, lined-up waves. This is the best of the batch for experienced surfers who can handle the size and power.

The week before that, Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th are a total washout for actually surfing. The swell is too big, hitting 16ft on Friday morning, with a massive combined energy of 19222, but the wind is a messy cross. The guide says it’s too big for this break. That’s kite-surf territory, not paddle-surfing. Saturday morning is still a messy 10ft with rain showers and cross-shore chop. Not good.

Sunday the 26th morning is a better proposition. The swell drops to 8ft from the SW, with a gentle WNW breeze that’s actually cross-offshore and clean. The combined energy is moderate at 2772. It’s a solid wave for experienced surfers, but it’s not the standout. There’s a bit of a gap in quality after that until the end of the week.

Monday the 27th through Thursday the 30th are mostly marginal. The swell hangs around 5ft to 7ft, but the conditions are often chopped or just not coming together. The afternoon of Monday the 27th looks clean with a 5ft SW swell, but it’s only a small wave.

Then we hit the big weekend. Friday the 31st of July is a nice warm-up. The morning has a clean 6ft SW swell with a 13-second period and light NW winds. The energy is moderate at 1340. A good, clean, fun wave.

As mentioned, the crown jewel is Saturday the 1st and Sunday the 2nd of August. Saturday morning is clear with a 6ft SW swell, but the period jumps to a very long 17 seconds. The combined energy is strong at 2146. The wind is a gentle offshore from the NNW. This is a very long period groundswell, so it’ll be better on a point or reef than a typical beach break, but the conditions are still clean. Sunday morning is the absolute peak: 8ft SW, 16-second period, clean offshore wind from the N at 12 mph, and combined energy of 2835. That’s a powerful, clean, and long-running swell. This is the one to circle on the calendar. After that, the swell stays big but the winds get onshore and messy from the 3rd and 4th, making it hard work.

The week of the 5th and 6th of August shows another pulse of energy. Thursday the 6th morning has a 12ft SW swell with an 18-second period, the combined energy hits 8431, and the wind is a gentle cross-off from the NW. This is massive, very long period swell, and the guide says it’s too big for the break. This is for experts only, and even then, it’s a beast. The energy is very strong.

The final days, the 7th and 8th, are a drop-off. The swell fades to 5ft and 6ft, with clean conditions but very little push. The energy drops to 890 and 734 which is weak.

Rusty's bottom line: The Sunday of the 2nd of August is the one. Clean, offshore, powerful, and long period. The Saturday of the 1st is a close second. The rest of the window is either too big, too small, or too messy for a real standout session.

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