Freshwater and Harbord Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks at Freshwater and Harbord. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, but there’s a glimmer of hope if you’re patient.

We’re starting off Monday the 6th with a solid 10ft SSE swell, but the wind is howling from the SSE at 15 mph, making a mess of things. It’s cross-onshore and choppy, and the wave energy is strong (1592), but unfortunately, it’s just poor. That pattern sticks around through Tuesday and Wednesday – plenty of swell height, 12ft at one point, but the wind stays onshore or cross, and the water’s lumpy. Not a session you’d paddle out for unless you’re after a workout. The water temp is sitting around 64°, which is about average for this time of year.

Thursday the 9th sees the swell drop to 7ft, but we’re still stuck with cross-onshore breezes. The energy’s winding down into moderate territory (860), and conditions are only marginal. Friday the 10th is more of the same, with swell down around 6ft to 6ft and light winds, but it’s just not clean enough to get excited about.

Now, Saturday the 11th offers a bit of hope. The swell has eased to 4ft from the SSE, but the wind swings to a light offshore NW at 6 mph in the morning. It’s clean, and the energy is moderate (398). The break is sheltered and consistent, and a NW offshore is a treat. This is probably the pick of the first week – small but workable waves with clean faces. Crowds are likely here, especially on a Saturday, so get in early. The afternoon gets a bit tricky with a NE cross-off, but still clean.

Sunday the 12th drops right off – only 3ft and fading fast. The wind is strong offshore from the NW at 18 mph, so it’s clean but tiny. From here, we hit a real dry spell. Monday the 13th through to Friday the 17th of July shows almost no swell, with wave heights flat or near flat. There’s a stretch of several days with effectively no surf to speak of. The water goes glassy at times, but you’d be waiting for a ripple.

Then, the real standout appears on Saturday the 18th of July. We get a 7ft SSE swell rolling in, and the wind goes glassy from the W at 3 mph. That’s a magic combination – clean, glassy conditions with a decent 7ft swell (moderate energy, 645). It’s a bit of a gamble this far out, but if it holds, that Saturday morning is the best on offer across the whole outlook. With that size, it’s a bit much for beginners, but for the rest of us, it’ll be worth the wait.

After that, Sunday the 19th drops to 4ft with a moderate offshore from the NNW, still clean and fun, but not the same standout. The following week looks small again, with Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st offering only 5ft at best, and the period drops to 6-7 seconds, so not much punch.

So, to sum it up: this stretch is mostly a no-go until the 11th, then another gap until the 18th. The 18th of July is where you want to be – glassy, clean, and a solid 7ft from the SSE at Freshwater. Mark it on the calendar.

Rusty.

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