Fairhaven Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s talk Fairhaven. The next couple of weeks are a wild ride, with some absolute monsters early on that’ll have you watching from the car park. Once it settles, we get some absolute magic, clean and lined up. Alright, here’s the deal.

The first recommendation is Saturday afternoon, July 11th. A tiny 4ft swell from the SW (combined energy of 440) with a fresh 19 mph offshore from the north. It’s clean, but it’s weak as dishwater and Fairhaven "rarely breaks," so odds are against it. Not worth the drive.

Then hold on to your board, because from Sunday the 12th through Tuesday the 14th, it’s a full-on beast. Sunday morning sees 10ft from the WSW, and by afternoon it’s 13ft (combined energy 9390). Monday the 13th peaks at a massive 20ft WSW (combined energy 24526) with a very long 15-second period. Tuesday the 14th is still 18ft. All of this is over 8ft, so expert-only—and with combined energy readings hitting 24526, it’s genuinely dangerous. Winds are cross-off or cross-shore, but it’s just too big.

Wednesday the 15th and Thursday the 16th are where it gets real good. Wednesday morning drops to 10ft SW (combined energy 3413) with a 14-second period and a clean 9 mph cross-off from the NW. This is "excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers." Thursday the 16th is the standout: morning has 7ft SW (combined energy 1772) with a light 6 mph cross-off. But Thursday afternoon is the gem: 7ft SW swell, a long 14-second period, and dead glass with 0 mph wind from the south. The water temp is 58°, about average for the season. That’s the session. Fairhaven can get crowded, so expect a few others, but for experienced surfers, this is perfection.

Friday the 17th keeps the quality. Friday morning has 10ft SW (combined energy 3889) with a very long 16-second period and a light offshore. Friday afternoon glass off again: 8ft SW (combined energy 2988), 15-second period, 0 mph wind. Perfect.

The weekend of the 18th–19th steps down. Saturday the 18th has clean but small 5ft to 5ft SW swells (combined energy 726 to 964) with cross-off winds. Good for a learner on small days. Sunday the 19th has fresh 19 mph offshore winds on a 3ft to 5ft SW swell (combined energy up to 1407), but the period jumps to 20 seconds on the smaller one—super long lulls. Clean, but inconsistent.

The second week, from July 20th onwards, looks promising but less certain. Monday the 20th to Wednesday the 22nd brings 5ft to 7ft SW swells with gentle to moderate cross-off winds, mostly clean. Thursday the 23rd is a bit cross-shore.

Now, Friday the 24th and Saturday the 25th of July are another standout window. Friday morning has 8ft SW (combined energy 3948) with a very long 17-second period and a clean cross-off breeze. Friday afternoon goes glassy with 8ft SW (combined energy 2770). Saturday the 25th is glassy again in the afternoon with 7ft SW (combined energy 2125). Sunday the 26th keeps the clean, glassy conditions with a 6ft SW. This run from the 24th to the 26th is a dream for experienced surfers.

Bottom line: the absolute best is Thursday afternoon the 16th and Friday the 17th of July, with a second excellent run from Friday the 24th to Sunday the 26th of July. Fairhaven rarely breaks, but when it does, it’s special. The first few days are for experts only.

Rusty.

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