Fourth Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. We've got a mixed bag coming up for Fourth Beach over the next couple of weeks. The water temp is about average for the time of year, nothing special there. The opening window looks promising, but there's a fair bit of wind and size to deal with as we go deeper.

The first real standout kicks off on Wednesday, July 15th. The morning session sees a clean 6ft SSW groundswell with a solid 14-second period, and the combined energy is pumping at 1442. The fresh offshore northerly wind will keep things clean, but the tide might be a bit tricky. The afternoon is where it's at though – that swell drops slightly to 6ft, still from the SSW, with a 14-second period and a massive 2137 combined energy. The wind backs off to a gentle offshore breeze, making for excellent, clean waves. This is an advanced break, so it's not for the faint-hearted, but for experienced surfers, this is the pick of the early run.

Thursday, July 16th, is also worth a paddle. The morning has a clean 6ft SSW swell, 16-second period, and 1629 combined energy, but a fresh offshore wind (35 km/h) might make it a bit bumpy. The afternoon is better: 6ft SSW swell, 15-second period, and 1657 combined energy, with a moderate offshore wind that’ll keep it clean. Both sessions are rated for experienced surfers, but the wind is a bit stronger in the morning.

Friday, July 17th, sees the swell drop to 5ft in the morning with a 13-second period and 636 combined energy. It's clean with a moderate offshore wind, but the size is more average. The afternoon gets smaller at 4ft, 13-second period, and 488 combined energy, with a light cross-offshore breeze. It's surfable but nothing to write home about.

From Saturday, July 18th, through to Monday, July 21st, the conditions get messy. The wind swings around, creating lumpy, cross-shore chop, and the swell jumps up over 7ft. The combined energy spikes into the 2000-3000 range, but the wind is ruining it. This is when the beach break setup starts looking more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, as the waves are powerful but messy.

Then we hit a real beast on Wednesday, July 22nd. The swell is massive – 10ft in the morning and 12ft in the afternoon, both from the SSW with 14-second periods and combined energy of 2942 and 6781 respectively. This is way too big for all but the most experienced surfers, and the wind is onshore. It's a genuine expert-only zone.

Thursday, July 23rd, is still huge but the wind finally plays ball. The morning has a 12ft SSW swell, 16-second period, and 5167 combined energy with a gentle offshore breeze. The afternoon is the absolute standout of the entire forecast: 10ft SSW groundswell, 15-second period, and 3953 combined energy, with glassy conditions. That's a big, clean, powerful wave for experts only. Crowds are possible here.

Friday, July 24th, the swell drops to a more manageable 8ft in the morning, still from the SSW, with a 14-second period and 2259 combined energy. The wind is a gentle offshore breeze, making it clean. The afternoon is even better, with 7ft SSW swell, 14-second period, and 2025 combined energy, and glassy conditions by the afternoon. This is a top-tier session for experienced surfers.

The next few days, from July 25th to the 30th, see the swell slowly drop back down. The 25th has a clean 5ft SSW swell in the morning, and the 27th brings a 4ft SSW swell with a light offshore wind. The 28th has a promising 5ft SSW groundswell with a 16-second period in the morning. The 30th finishes with a 5ft SSW swell and a 18-second period, but a fresh offshore wind. It's all surfable, but nothing lights up the chart like that big Thursday window.

The pick of the run is absolutely Thursday afternoon, July 23rd, with that glassy 10ft groundswell, and the follow-up on Friday, July 24th, with the clean 7ft to 8ft SSW swell. The late July window on the 28th morning is also a solid, clean option.

Stay safe, and paddle hard.

Rusty.

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