4 Mile Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, let’s look at what’s cookin’ for 4 Mile.

Alright, let’s be real with each other. For the next couple of weeks, 4 Mile is a tough sell. We’re looking at a long stretch of mostly small, wind-affected surf with a lot of cross and cross-onshore breeze. The water is a touch warmer than usual for mid-July, coming in at 59°, so that’s a nice little bonus, but it’s not enough to save the waves.

The pattern starts off pretty flat. Monday the 13th has some tiny 2ft swell from the SSW with a long 13-second period, but the wind is tricky, and the overall energy is weak to moderate (395). It’s a real “maybe you get a couple, maybe you don’t” kind of session. Tuesday and Wednesday the 14th and 15th are a write-off with poor conditions and mostly cross-shore winds. The wind ramps up Thursday the 16th, with a choppy 5ft to 6ft swell, but that NW wind is just ruining the face. You’d be fighting a losing battle.

The first real flicker of hope comes in around Friday the 17th. There’s a long-period groundswell from the SW with a period of 19 seconds, and the energy is solid (584). But the wind is still cross-shore, and the swell height is only 2ft to 2ft. That’s a tease. A long-period swell like that wants a clean point break, not a messy cross-shore situation. The rest of that week and into the next is a grind of small, choppy conditions.

The standout window, if you can call it that, shows up on Saturday the 25th and into Sunday the 26th. We’ve got a 5ft to 6ft swell from the WNW, with a bit more energy (813 to 1023). The wind on Saturday the 25th afternoon is a cross-shore, and Sunday the 26th morning has a cross-onshore, so it’s not clean by any means. The swell is getting to that size where it’s not for beginners, and the period is around 10 seconds, so it’s a bit lumpy. The energy is strong (1023), but the wind just won’t cooperate. It’s going to be a messy, textured wave.

The last week of the outlook has a return to the small, long-period SW groundswells, but the wind is still a problem. The energy is moderate to strong at times, but with the wind direction, it’s just not going to be a classic 4 Mile day.

Honestly, if you’re a kite surfer, the combination of wind and swell on some of these days, especially the 16th, could be more interesting. For a paddle surfer, it’s a long wait for anything really good. The best bet is probably the Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th, but it’s a B-grade option at best. Keep your expectations low and you might not be disappointed.

Rusty.

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