4 Mile Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. We’ve got a long stretch ahead for 4 Mile. This is a point break, advanced-level only, and it’s fairly consistent. It's an exposed spot that loves swell from the west. The main issue across this whole 16-day run is wind – it's staying stubbornly cross or cross-on from the northwest and west-northwest, with moderate to fresh speeds. That’s nasty for a point, because we’ll see a constant bump and cross-chop. The surf just won't have that clean, lined-up face a point needs to really shine.

Right from the first call on Monday afternoon, July 6th, we’ve got a 2ft swell from the SSW, but it's tied to a cross-on wind and the whole thing looks poor. The water temp is at 60°F, with an anomaly pushing it 4°F warmer than usual – so it’s noticeably warmer for this time of year, but that’s about the only nice thing going on. Through Tuesday and into Wednesday morning, the swell bumps up a little (2ft to 4ft) but the wind stays cross-shore, and the forecaster is calling it marginal at best. You might be able to wrestle a few on Tuesday morning when the swell period is a very long 19 seconds and the energy is moderate (797), but it's going to be lumpy.

The real chance that catches my eye, even if it’s not perfect, is Thursday morning, July 9th. We see the best combined energy of the whole run (1376) with a 3ft SSW swell running at 16 seconds. The wind is still cross-shore, but with only a moderate breeze. For a point, that’s the window where the swell energy is highest and the period is solidly long. It’s the one standout “marginal” window that might offer up some decent runners if you’re picky.

After that, Friday the 10th through the weekend gets weird. The swell direction swings to the WNW and the period drops to 8-9 seconds – shorter period, less shape. Some of those NW swells get up to 6ft and 7ft on Friday morning, which pushes it into expert territory and the wind remains messy. By Sunday morning the 12th we’re still stuck in this same pattern: moderate cross-shore breeze, 5ft–5ft swell, short period. It looks more like a workout than a pleasure.

The second week is grim. From Monday the 13th through to Tuesday the 21st of July, we’re just running the gauntlet of “poor” calls. Swells drop (2ft to 6ft), the period gets short and the wind never cleans up. There’s a flicker on Saturday morning July 18th – a light breeze with a 4ft WNW swell – but it’s cross-on, and the energy is moderate (730). It’s the best of a bad bunch that week, but I wouldn’t get excited.

Straight up: there is no true standout session here. The closest we get is Thursday morning July 9th or maybe Wednesday morning July 8th, but even then you’re battling cross-shore wind on an advanced point. This setup, with that constant wind and a point break, honestly looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

-Rusty

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