Freshwater Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s coming up for Freshwater Bay. It’s a reef and point setup, exposed to the swell, and it usually handles a south-west swell best. If you’re intermediate-level, you’ll be right at home here. But I gotta be straight with you: the next week and a half is looking pretty grim. There’s a big dry spell at the start. From Friday the 10th of July right through until the late afternoon of Thursday the 24th of July, there’s just nothing worth paddling for. The water temperature is sitting at 67° – that’s much warmer than normal for this time of year, a real anomaly of nearly 7°, so it’s a weird one.

We’ve got a real lack of quality swell. Most days are showing tiny, short-period junk, often with a cross or cross-onshore wind messing it up. The combined wave energy is weak, rarely climbing above a hundred (10 to 79), and even when it does hit 126 or 163, the wind is just too rough to make it enjoyable. The wind is mostly from the east or northeast, which is cross-off or cross-shore here, but it’s often a fresh breeze, so it’s lumpy and choppy. There are a few clean moments, like on Monday the 13th and Saturday the 19th, but there’s simply no swell to ride.

The one and only standout in this whole 16-day window is the late arvo on Friday the 24th of July. That’s the first time we see a score that’s not a total zero. The swell is 6 ft from the SW with a period of 6 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 226 (moderate). The wind turns cross-off from the west at 12 mph, and the report says it’s clean. That’s your best shot. It’s still a bit short-period, and the tide or conditions might be a little marginal, but it’s the only moment where the bay looks like it might actually have a wave you can ride. It’s a long way off, so keep an eye on it. The morning of Saturday the 25th also shows 4 ft SW swell and clean cross-off wind, with energy at 321 (moderate), so that could be a decent backup if the Friday afternoon works. Still, for a place that’s fairly consistent, this is a rough run. It tends not to stay this poor for long, so the forecasts might change.

For the most part though, the bay is flat or blown out. If you’re desperate for a paddle, you’d be looking at a kite session on those windy, choppy days, but for a surfboard, it’s a waiting game.

Stay patient,
Rusty

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