Friendly Beaches Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. We’ve got a mixed bag on tap for Friendly Beaches over the next couple of weeks. The first week has some small, clean windows but nothing that’ll get the heart racing too much. Then things look like they might fire up right at the end of the period, but we’ll get to that.

Right now, Saturday afternoon (18 July) is glassy with a tiny 2 ft south swell, period of 12 seconds giving it some shape. Water temp is sitting at 57°F which is pretty average for this time of year. The combined energy is weak though (293), so it’s a longboard or a fish kind of session.

Sunday morning (19 July) brings a little more life – 3 ft south swell, still glassy, with moderate energy (366). That’s the pick of the early days. Clean, lined up, and you’ll have the place mostly to yourself if crowds are only ‘sometimes’ an issue. Afternoon turns a bit dicky with a cross-on breeze, not worth rushing for.

From Monday (20 July) through Wednesday (22 July), we’ve got a run of small north-east swells, 3 ft to 4 ft, with clean, glassy or cross-off winds. The combined energy sits between 236 and 390, so weak to moderate. It’s surfable, but nothing special – more of a cruise between the peaks.

Thursday (23 July) drops off hard with tiny 1.0 ft south swell and almost no energy (68). Not worth paddling out. Friday (24 July) sees a return of 3 ft south swell, moderate energy (277 to 334), and decent offshore winds in the morning. A bit better, but still only for the keen.

The weekend (25-26 July) fades again with smaller 2 ft to 3 ft swell and dropping energy. Sunday afternoon (26 July) offers a tiny 2 ft south swell with offshore wind, but it’s marginal.

Then we hit a big quiet stretch from Monday morning (27 July) through Tuesday afternoon (28 July) – almost no swell, high period but tiny, poor conditions. Don’t bother.

But here’s the standout to keep an eye on: Thursday morning (30 July). We get a solid 5 ft south swell with a 12-second period, combined energy cranking up to 815 – that’s strong. Winds are light offshore, clean, glassy. That’s the best wave of the whole outlook. It’s a bit thumping, over 5 ft, so maybe not for beginners, but for anyone with a bit of experience it’s going to be pumping. The south swell direction suits the exposed setup nicely.

Wednesday (29 July) is a warm-up with 4 ft to 4 ft south swell and offshore winds, energy building to 471 and 720 – that’s moderate to strong. Good, but Thursday is the real prize.

After that, Friday (31 July) onwards goes messy with cross-on winds and dropping swell, so don’t plan around it. And into the first week of August, it’s onshore junk with 6 ft of messy windswell – that’s more for the kite crowd than paddle surfing.

So, bottom line: Thursday the 30th looks like the gem. Mark it in the calendar. Until then, pick the glassy mornings for a fun but small session.

Rusty.

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