Freshwater West Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get straight into it.

First up, I’ll be honest with you – this 16-day stretch for Freshwater West is a tough one. We’ve got a real flat spell on our hands, and for the most part, the wave energy just isn’t there. There’s a big gap with barely anything worth paddling out for, especially through the first week and into the second. The only real glimmer comes right at the end, and even that’s a bit of a long shot.

Starting out on Thursday morning, the 9th of July, it’s glassy – dead calm with no wind – but the swell is tiny at only 1.0 ft from the west, with a weak 10-second period. The combined energy is just 28, which is weak. The water’s sitting at 62°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year. That’s nice if you’re in a wetsuit, but there’s simply no surf to enjoy. The afternoon gets a bit of cross-shore breeze, so it’s a write-off.

Friday the 10th does perk up slightly. The morning sees a clean 2 ft swell from the west with a 9-second period, and light offshore winds from the northeast. The energy climbs to 71 – still on the low side, but it’s the best we’ll see for a while. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. The afternoon gets messy again.

From Saturday the 11th all the way through to Wednesday the 15th, it’s mostly tiny, weak swell – 1 ft down to 0.3 ft – with long, drawn-out periods from the south-west. Those long-period swells over 15 seconds can sometimes bring a bit of shape, but with almost no height, it’s just not happening. The winds are often offshore or clean, but the lack of size kills it. The energy readings are mostly in the 20s and 40s, confirming how weak it is.

Thursday the 16th through to Monday the 20th of July stays poor. There’s a bump in size on Friday the 17th afternoon – 4 ft from the south-southwest – but the period drops to a short, weak 6 seconds, and the energy hits 119 (moderate). The problem? It’s a cross-shore mess with onshore winds. That’s more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle session, honestly.

Tuesday the 21st and Wednesday the 22nd are back to tiny, clean conditions but with fresh offshore winds. It’s clean, but with swell heights of 0.3 ft to 1 ft, you’re just floating.

The only real standout – and I mean the *only* one – comes late in the game. On Friday morning, the 24th of July, we see a tiny 0.7 ft west swell with a 9-second period, but the combined energy is a pathetic 9. It’s not a standout at all, really. So for this forecast period, I can’t honestly point to any break as a must-surf. It’s a flat run, and that’s just how it goes sometimes around here.

Keep an eye on the forecasts, though, because it doesn’t stay this quiet forever.

Rusty

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