Freshwater and Harbord Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s talk about Freshwater and Harbord. This whole stretch is pretty sheltered, so it really needs the swell coming from the east-northeast to get anything going. The coming week is a bit of a mixed bag, but there are a couple of windows that’ll get you excited.

The water temp is sitting at about 63°, which is pretty average for this time of year – nothing unusual.

We start off this Sunday, the 19th, with a solid 7ft swell from the ENE, but it’s got a side-onshore wind, and the word is ‘marginal.’ It’s not really worth paddling out for. The waves will be there, but the quality will be poor.

The first real standout comes on Monday the 20th. The morning is looking clean with a light offshore breeze from the west-northwest. Swell is still a solid 7ft from the ENE, with a decent 11-second period. The combined energy is moderate to strong at 934. This is the pick of the early week. The waves will have some punch, but it’s not too big for a confident intermediate. It’s a consistent spot, so you won’t be waiting around. Crowds are often here, so expect company.

Tuesday the 21st is still rideable in the morning. The swell drops to 5ft, but the wind is light cross-offshore, and conditions are clean. The energy is moderate at 425. It’s a good follow-up session if you missed Monday.

From Wednesday the 22nd through to the end of the month, the swell steadily fades. By the weekend, we’re down to knee-high dribble. The winds are mostly offshore or glassy, but there’s simply no swell to work with. It’s a flat spell that lasts several days.

Now, the next real excitement shows up on Tuesday the 28th. A very long-period groundswell from the south-southeast rolls in, with a 4ft swell and a 17-second period. The energy is strong at 898. The wind is light offshore from the west early on. This is a classic setup at Freshwater – a long wait between sets, but when they come, they’ll be clean and lined up. It’s a point break setup here, so that long period will wrap in nicely. This is a standout morning if you’ve got patience.

We get a better pulse on the 30th and 31st. Thursday the 30th morning has a 5ft SSE swell with an 11-second period, and a gentle offshore wind. Clean conditions and solid energy (564). Friday the 31st is very similar, with another 5ft SSE swell and offshore wind. Both mornings are good, clean options.

The 3rd of August brings a big pulse. Monday morning sees a 10ft SSE swell, with a 13-second period and an offshore wind. The energy is very strong at 3462. This is big, powerful stuff. It’s too big for beginners, and even for experienced surfers, it’ll be a handful. The point will handle it, but it’s a serious session. The afternoon still has 8ft waves, but the wind swings cross-shore, so it’s a bit less clean.

So, to wrap it up – the best surf on offer is Monday the 20th morning for a solid, fun ENE swell, and Tuesday the 28th morning for that long-period groundswell that’s worth the wait. The bigger stuff on the 3rd is for the experienced crew only.

Rusty.

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