1st Parking Lot Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’ for our stretch of coast. I gotta be straight with you: over the next 16 days, we are in a proper flat spell. There’s no standout surf, no real juice to get excited about, and I can’t even point you to one good session. The whole forecast is a long, drawn-out run of poor surf conditions, with wave heights barely tickling the 3 ft at best and the energy sitting weak as a wet noodle. It’s a tough stretch, plain and simple.

We’ve got a solid gap right from the start with no real surf on offer. The first recommendation is a blank. The whole first week, from Friday 17th July right through to the following Thursday 23rd, stays tiny, inconsistent, and mostly blown out. Friday morning the 17th has glassy conditions but the swell is a pathetic 0.3 ft from the SE with a period of 8 seconds, and the combined energy is a measly 5 – that’s barely a ripple. By Friday afternoon, the wind swings cross-on at 12 mph, and it’s choppy. Saturday and Sunday are equally hopeless, with the swell barely reaching 1 ft and the wind onshore or cross-shore. The water temp is sitting at 75°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year.

The second week doesn’t get any better. From Monday 24th July through to the end of the month, we’re stuck in the same rut. The swell just won’t push past 3 ft, and the energy values are still in the double digits, peaking at 119 on Thursday afternoon the 23rd, but that’s still weak juice. The periods are short, mostly 7 seconds or less, so there’s no push or shape. The only morning that looks halfway clean is Wednesday 22nd July, with a fresh offshore wind from the west at 19 mph and a glassy surface, but the swell is only 1 ft to 2 ft – not enough to do anything with. The rest of the time, it’s cross-on, lumpy, and choppy, or just plain flat.

Looking at 1st Parking Lot (beach and jetty), it’s a beginner-friendly spot that’s consistent, but this forecast has nothing for anyone. The swell is coming from the SE the whole time, which is the optimum direction for this break, but the size and period just aren’t there. The wind is mostly cross-on or cross-off, so the setup is messy. Even when it’s glassy or offshore, the wave heights are so small that it’s not worth paddling out. If you’re a kite surfer, this might look interesting on a few afternoons with some cross-shore wind, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a blank.

So, what’s the best on offer? Honestly, there isn’t a standout. If I had to pick the least-bad moment, it would be Wednesday 22nd July morning and afternoon, with clean, offshore conditions and a swell of 1 ft to 2 ft from the SE. But that’s not saying much – it’s still tiny. For the rest of the window, you’re better off waxing your board and waiting for a better forecast. This area tends to have these flat runs, so it’s not a huge shock, but it’s still a bummer.

Rusty.

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