Flies Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The swell window is open, but only just. For the next week and a half, it’s going to be a grind. The first real action we see is Thursday morning, the 23rd, at Flies. That’s a beach/jetty setup, and it’s exposed to the south-west. We’ve got a 4 ft south swell chugging in at 8 seconds, so it’s a short-period, local windswell. The combined energy is weak (182). Water temp is sitting at 69°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year. The wind is a light NNE breeze, 6 mph, blowing cross-offshore. That’s going to keep the surface clean. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. Not a standout, just a warm-up.

The rest of that week and into the next is a write-off. Friday the 24th drops to 2 ft, and the wind goes onshore. Saturday the 25th is a joke, with 0.7 ft and a moderate cross-onshore breeze. Sunday the 26th, Monday the 27th – all rubbish. There’s a decent pulse of size on Tuesday the 28th, with 6 ft on the morning and 5 ft in the afternoon, but the period is a paltry 6-7 seconds and the wind is cross-onshore from the east. The energy jumps to moderate (255-333), but the conditions are poor. That’s going to be a mushy, choppy mess. Not worth paddling out.

Wednesday the 29th morning has a weird one. A 25 mph north wind, cross-offshore, with 4 ft south swell. That’s a strong breeze, but it’s blowing offshore, so the surface will be clean. Still, that’s kite-surfing territory, not paddle surfing. The afternoon settles down with a gentle breeze, but the quality is still only “very ordinary.”

We then hit a dead zone. From Thursday the 30th afternoon right through to the end of the first week of August, the wind is either onshore, cross-onshore, or cross-shore. The swell is small and weak. There’s a tease on Sunday the 2nd of August, with 5 ft south swell and a slight WSW breeze, cross-offshore, making it clean. Energy is moderate (161). But it’s a 6-second period, so it’s a junky little windswell. Not a session changer.

Now, here’s the one I’m looking at. Monday the 3rd of August. The morning shows a 7 ft south-southeast swell, with a period of 10 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell. The combined energy is strong (772). Light SSE breeze, 6 mph, but it’s cross-onshore. That’s a minor letdown. The wave comment calls it “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions.” This is the biggest swell of the window, and it has some grunt to it. At 7 ft, it’s borderline for intermediates, but for an expert, it’s got potential if the tide plays ball. The 10-second period will give it better shape than the junk we’ve been seeing. The crowd situation at Flies is “sometimes,” so you might have a few others thinking the same thing. This is the standout, but it’s a long way out, so treat it as promising but not locked in.

After that, it fades fast. Tuesday the 4th drops to 4 ft, and by Wednesday the 5th, we’re back to 2 ft with a fresh cross-onshore wind. The 16-day window peters out into weak, choppy nothing.

So, bottom line: there’s a big gap of poor surf from the 23rd right through to the 3rd of August. The only real highlight is that Monday the 3rd, with a 7 ft south-southeast groundswell. It’s not perfect, but it’s the best you’re going to get. For the rest, keep the board in the car and check the forecast again.

Rusty.

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