Flies Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, it’s Rusty here, and I’ve gotta be straight with you – this is a tough one. The next couple of weeks, we’re looking at a real flat spell for Flies, with only a glimmer of hope way out at the end.

We start off Monday, August 3rd, with some energy from a storm system – a solid 8ft of southerly swell, but it’s a short-period 8 seconds and it’s getting hammered by a strong 25 mph crosswind. The water’s 72°, which is about average for this time of year, but the conditions are just plain ugly. That’s a no-go. The combined energy is moderate at 824, but it’s all for nothing.

The rest of the first week into the second is a total write-off. The swell drops, the wind is messy, and we’re looking at scores of days with nothing but small, weak, and choppy surf. The combined energy drops to weenie two-digit numbers like 73 or 87. It’s not worth paddling out. There are a few moments on Wednesday morning, August 5th, with a 4ft southerly swell and a light offshore WNW breeze, but it’s still a short 7-second period and the forecast calls it “very ordinary.” You might get a fun little wave, but don’t drive for it.

We get a few clean-looking mornings, like Saturday August 8th and Sunday August 9th, but the swell is tiny – 2ft to 3ft – and the energy is weak. The wind is off or cross-off, so it’ll be clean, but you’ll be scratching for anything rideable.

Then we hit a proper dead zone. From around August 11th through to the 17th, the swell is almost non-existent, with heights dropping to 1.0ft or 1ft. The combined energy falls into the pathetic teens and twenties. It’s a long, flat stretch.

Now, here’s the light at the end of the tunnel. On Tuesday, August 18th, we finally get something to talk about. A building swell from the southwest pushes 6ft in the morning, with a combined energy of 221 (moderate), and the wind is a clean offshore from the north at 9 mph. The afternoon sees it climb to 6ft (338 energy) with a cross-off wind. The period is still short at 6-7 seconds, but it’s the only real surf in the whole outlook. It’s a standout only because everything else is so poor. This one is promising, but it’s a long way off, so keep an eye on the charts.

If you’re a kite surfer, those windy, choppy days in the first week with 8ft swell and 25 mph winds are far more interesting than anything for a paddle board. For the rest of us, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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