Fortress Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Hey folks, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s coming up at Fortress. It’s a reef setup that’s fairly consistent with the swell, but honestly, this 16-day window looks pretty quiet overall. We’ve got no decent waves to speak of in the first few days, so don’t bother paddling out yet.

Right off the bat, Sunday the 19th is flat and messy – a tiny 3 ft south swell with weak energy (58) and a moderate breeze making it cross-off. The water’s a bit colder than normal at 68°, sitting about 3° below average, so you’ll want a decent suit. Monday the 20th starts glassy with a 2 ft south swell (61), but it’s so small it’s barely surfable. That glassy moment is a tease, but the waves just aren’t there. Things stay flat and weak through Tuesday the 21st, with messy cross-onshore winds and lumpy conditions.

Now, here’s the one standout in the whole run – Wednesday the 22nd. We get a solid jump in size with a 8 ft SSW swell on the morning, and the combined energy spikes right up to 1126 – that’s proper strong. The wind is cross-off from the SW, so the reef should hold up clean. It’s a 9-second period, which is decent, but with that much size it’s going to be only for the experienced crew – beginners, stay out of the water. The afternoon holds at 7 ft from the south, a bit longer period at 10 seconds, still clean with cross-off winds. This is the best call in the whole forecast, but it’s a heavy one.

Thursday the 23rd is still worthwhile with a 6 ft SSE swell (577) and fresh offshore NW wind in the morning, plus a drop to 4 ft from the south in the afternoon with moderate offshore breeze. The waves are clean, quality enough to get a few, but nothing compared to Wednesday’s punch.

From Friday the 24th onward, it’s pretty much back to small weak junk. We bounce around 2 ft to 5 ft for the rest of July, with poor conditions, cross-shore winds, and choppy seas most days. The 29th shows a 5 ft SSW swell (194) with light wind and clean conditions, but it’s still ordinary and short period. Into the first days of August, it’s tiny again – 2 ft to 2 ft, with weak energy (32-102) and light cross or onshore breezes. Nothing worth paddling for.

So here’s the summary: The whole run is a long stretch of meh, minus that heavy Wednesday the 22nd. If you’re an experienced surfer hungry for some power, that’s your one shot. Everyone else, keep your gear in the car and watch for forecasts to change – it tends not to stay poor for long around here.

Rusty.

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