Freshwater Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ve been staring at the charts for Freshwater Bay and honestly, it’s a pretty bleak run for the next couple of weeks. The reef and point setup there is a classic intermediate wave, but she’s just not getting the love from the ocean right now. We’ve got an exposed southwest-facing spot, but the swell is barely alive for the first week, and even when it tries to pick up, the wind is working against us. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

We start off on Wednesday, 22 July, with nothing – some tiny 0.3ft west swell, period around 10 seconds, but the combined energy is a measly 3 (weak). It’s glassy in the morning, but the afternoon turns cross-shore and bumpy. Thursday and Friday, 23 and 24 July, are even worse; the swell drops to 0.3ft and 0.7ft with periods as short as 3 seconds, and the wind is onshore or cross-onshore, making it choppy and miserable. The combined energy is just 1 or 2 (weak). Saturday, 25 July, shows a little 0.7ft west swell, but it’s still tiny. By Sunday, 26 July, we get a bump to 2ft to 4ft from the west-southwest, but the period is a short 4 to 6 seconds, and while the wind is clean (cross-offshore), the combined energy only reaches 50 (weak) – still not enough to get excited about. The surf is rated as poor conditions throughout.

The whole first week is a write-off. There’s a gap of several days with no real recommendations. Monday, 27 July, is glassy but only 1ft, and then it’s back to onshore wind. Tuesday, 28 July, is dead calm with 0.3ft. Wednesday, 29 July, has a brief offshore wind window (NW) with a 0.3ft, 11-second period swell, but the combined energy is a paltry 2 (weak). The next few days repeat the pattern: tiny swell, cross-shore or onshore wind, and poor quality.

Now, into the second week, we finally see a pulse. Saturday, 1 August, kicks off with a 5ft swell from the southwest, period 6 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 187 (moderate). That’s the biggest swell of the whole forecast, but the wind is strong cross-shore at 19 mph, creating lumpy, chop conditions. The surf is still rated as poor. For a break that’s fairly consistent, this is a letdown. Sunday, 2 August, drops back to 1ft to 4ft with strong cross-offshore wind, but the energy is only 32 to 93 (weak to moderate). The following days, 3 to 6 August, are a mix of small 1ft to 3ft swells from the east and southwest, with periods around 5 to 8 seconds. The wind is mostly clean (cross-offshore) in the mornings, but the combined energy stays low (13 to 51). The best-looking morning is Wednesday, 6 August, with a 3ft east swell, period 5 seconds, and a light NW cross-offshore wind, giving clean surf, but the energy is still only 41 (weak).

Honestly, there’s no standout here. The only real increase in size is that 5ft pulse on Saturday, 1 August, but the wind is terrible. If you’re a kite surfer, the strong cross-shore winds and lumpy chop on that day might be interesting, but for paddle surfing, it’s a pass. The best conditions are those clean mornings with tiny swell, but they’re not worth a trip. The forecast is a blank run for this area, and it’s not unusual to see these quiet spells. Stay patient, and keep an eye on the changes.

Rusty.

Read more