Fortress Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here, and I gotta be straight with you – the next two weeks are looking pretty grim for a proper paddle. Based on what I'm seeing, we've got a bit of a wait ahead. The forecast basically kicks off with a blank run, and there's not a real standout session until around Monday, the 3rd of August. That's a good 9 days of mostly poor conditions to sit through, with only a couple of very small, marginal windows.

Let's start with the first slot. Saturday the 25th of July at Fortress (reef) is a write-off. We've got a tiny 3 ft ESE swell, but with a short 7-second period and a cross-on wind from the ENE at 16 mph, it's just choppy and messy. The combined energy is weak at 78, and it's a no-go. That pattern holds through the whole first week – small, short-period swells, mostly onshore or cross-on winds, and the water temp is about average for this time of year. Sunday the 26th isn't any better, and Monday the 27th is flat with a 2 ft swell and just 49 energy. It's heartbreaking.

We get a bit of a spike Wednesday the 29th, with a chunky 6 ft ESE swell, but it's still a short 6-second period and howling onshore at 22 mph. The energy is moderate at 241, but the wind is a mess. It's the same story Thursday morning the 30th – a 6 ft NE swell, but with a strong cross-off wind that's actually cleaning it up, but the period is only 6 seconds, so it's lumpy. Not worth the paddle.

Now, here's the one and only standout. On Monday, the 3rd of August, we finally get a window. The morning at Fortress looks alright – a 4 ft S/SSE swell, but with a long 9-second period and a clean offshore wind from the WNW at 9 mph. The combined energy is moderate at 202, and the wind is gentle offshore, meaning clean conditions. This is the best on offer, but it's still a pretty average day. The swell direction is from the SSE, which is a bit off the optimum SE direction for this spot, so it might not be breaking perfectly. Still, it's the only session with a half-decent score.

After that, it's back to small, weak, and ordinary. The first few days of August are a slow fade. Thursday the 6th has a tiny 3 ft S swell with a 7-second period and a light offshore, but it's just surfable, not exciting. By the second week, from the 7th of August onward, it's flat – 2 ft or less, with almost no energy. The combined energy drops to 19 or 34, and the periods are down to 5 or 6 seconds. It's a long, quiet stretch.

So, to sum it up: if you're desperate, wait for Monday the 3rd of August morning for a clean, small wave. Everything else is a write-off. The water temp is about average for the time of year. This is a tough one.

Rusty.

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