Freshwater West Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s have a look at what’s happening at Freshwater West.

Alright, mate, I’ll be straight with you – the next two weeks are looking pretty bleak for a proper paddle. The forecast shows a long stretch of tiny, weak surf with almost no energy behind it. The combined energy barely cracks double digits for most of the first week, and it’s not until the 24th of July that we finally see a bit of a bump, but even then, the conditions are no good. There’s a real gap here: from now right through to the 23rd, there’s hardly anything worth getting wet for. The swell is mostly around 0.7ft to 1.0ft, with periods all over the place – some long, some short, but none of it delivering any real push. The water temperature at Freshwater West is 63°, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so you won’t need a thick wetsuit, but that’s about the only positive.

Let’s run through the days. Monday the 13th and Tuesday the 14th have tiny 0.7ft SSW swell with a 19-second period, but the wave energy is only 37 and 51 (weak), and the surf is described as poor. Tuesday morning has a clean offshore ENE wind at 12 mph, but with that little swell, it’s just not doing anything. Wednesday the 15th is even smaller, 1.0ft at 10 seconds, energy 23 – it’s a skunk. The glassy conditions on Friday the 17th morning with zero wind and 1.0ft swell sound nice, but the period is only 7 seconds and the energy is just 7 – you’d be floating more than riding. Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th are the same story: tiny swell, weak energy, and mostly cross or cross-off winds. The pattern continues all the way through to the 23rd – nothing above 1.0ft, and energy values mostly in the single digits or low twenties. It’s flat by any surfer’s standards.

Now, the 24th of July is where things change a little. We get a pulse of 4ft to 5ft SSW swell, but it’s short period – only 5 to 7 seconds. The combined energy hits 203 on Friday afternoon (moderate), but the wind is cross-onshore from the SSW, and the surf is described as poor and choppy. That’s a messy, lumpy ocean. Saturday the 25th has 3ft to 4ft SW swell, but the wind is onshore from the WSW at 12–16 mph, and the energy is around 122 to 125 (moderate). It’s blown out and not worth paddling out for. Sunday the 26th and Monday the 27th are even worse – strong to near-gale winds, rain, and messy cross-chop. The swell drops back to 2ft to 3ft with weak energy. Tuesday the 28th is the same: gloomy, onshore, and lumpy.

So, what’s the standout? Honestly, there isn’t one. The best you could hope for is the 24th of July Friday afternoon, when the swell is 5ft from the SW, but the wind is cross-onshore and the period is short – it’s a choppy, unappealing mix. Freshwater West is a beach and reef setup that’s exposed to the west, so it needs a clean swell with offshore wind to shine. This forecast gives us none of that. The long period swells (over 15 seconds) we saw on the 13th and 14th would be better suited to a point or reef, but with only 0.7ft of height, they’re irrelevant. The consistent nature of the break means it usually doesn’t stay this poor for long, but this run is a real dud.

If you’re a kite surfer, the 24th and 25th might look more interesting with that moderate swell and cross-onshore wind, but for a paddle surfer, it’s a hard pass. I’d keep the board in the shed for a while, mate.

Rusty.

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