Galle Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what the next couple of weeks are serving up for us around Galle.

Right out of the gate, I gotta be honest with you – it's not looking like a classic run. The southwest monsoon is blowing steady, keeping a cross-shore breeze on the breaks pretty much non-stop. That wind, coming from the west at 12 to 16 mph, is going to put a chop on the surface just about every day. You’ll be battling a cross-chop more often than not.

We’ve got one break on the radar, the Galle reef/jetty spot. It’s exposed to the south-west and prefers a swell from the SW itself, which is a good start. But this break is inconsistent, it doesn't switch on all the time, so you have to pick your moments.

Now, for the first few days, through July 7th, it’s pretty grim. We are looking at small, weak swells with a combined energy barely cracking 600 to 700 (moderate). The swell is small, mostly around 2 ft to 5 ft, but a lot of it comes in from the west with a short period under 10 seconds. That's just weak, junky windswell. Give it a miss.

Things start to show a little more life from July 8th. The combined swell energy climbs into strong territory, hitting 1802 on Wednesday the 8th, with a 6 ft swell from the WNW. Still, the wind is cross-shore, so while there's more push, it won't be clean. The period is only around 10 seconds, so nothing special. The situation is frustrating: there’s decent sized swell but the wind ruins the 'wow' factor.

Even with bigger days like July 10th Friday afternoon – a 7 ft swell from the WNW with strong energy of 2656 – the wind stays cross-shore and on the chop. For the average punter, anything over 5 ft starts to get tricky, and this one is over 8 ft, so this is really an expert-only window, and even then, the bumpy conditions are a letdown.

The latter part of the week starting July 14th and beyond, we get a shift. The swell drops back, and the wind swings more from the WSW, becoming cross-onshore. That’s a worse angle, making things choppy. From July 15th onwards, the forecast is straight-up poor, with combined swell energy dropping back to moderate to weak as we head into the 17th and 18th of July. Honestly, from the second week onward, it’s a write-off for a decent surf.

The water temp is 84°F, which is normal for this time of year – no surprise there.

Truth is, there’s no true stand-out window here. The best bet, if you are desperate and an expert, is the afternoon of July 10th when the swell is biggest, but the wind is going to be a battle. For the rest of us, I’d say wait for the next change in the weather pattern. It’s not often a region stays this poor for this long, so forecasts can change, but for now, don't hold your breath.

Rusty.

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