Fortress Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. I’ve gotta be straight with you – the outlook for the next 16 days is a real struggle. There’s just not a single session that’s worth paddling out for. The only spot on the radar is Fortress, a reef break, but it’s a total non-starter for the whole period.

Right now, starting Friday the 10th of July, we’ve got tiny waves at Fortress, only 1 ft to 2 ft, with a bit of a south-east or south swell. The wind is mostly light and variable, but the energy is pathetic – the combined swell energy is sitting at a weak 42 early on Friday, dropping to 34 by the afternoon. The water temp is 65°, which is a chilly 5° colder than usual for this time of year, so you’ll feel that bite. Saturday the 11th doesn’t get any better – still tiny, 2 ft to 2 ft, with onshore and cross-onshore winds making it choppy. The energy is still weak, 45 and 35. Sunday the 12th is more of the same: 1 ft to 2 ft, light cross-onshore wind, and energy barely cracking 40. We’re just treading water here.

The whole first week through to the 16th is a write-off. Swell heights barely reach 3 ft on the 15th, and the combined energy never gets above 85 – that’s weak. The wind is mostly cross-off or light, keeping it clean, but there’s nothing to ride. The 19th of July shows a slight bump to 4 ft, but it’s a short-period east swell of 5 seconds, and the wind is cross-onshore, so it’s choppy. Energy hits 110, but that’s still low.

Then, from the 20th of July, the swell starts to build, but it’s a mess. We see 4 ft to 5 ft by the 24th and 25th, with the combined energy climbing to 542 on the 25th afternoon – that’s strong energy. But it’s all cross-onshore and onshore winds, up to 25 to 31 mph, with heavy rain and a near gale warning. The swell direction is south or south-east, and the period is short, 7 to 8 seconds, so it’s lumpy, choppy, and messy. No good surf for paddling, honestly – this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

There’s a long gap of over a week with no real recommendations. The whole 16-day window is a blank. Fortress is a fairly consistent spot, but it’s not showing any love here. The area just tends to go quiet like this sometimes. Keep an eye on the forecasts, because it never stays poor for long.

Rusty.

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