Gilligans Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. The long-range charts are showing a bit of a mixed bag for the next couple of weeks, but there’s some serious swell potential lurking out there if you’re patient. The first few days are going to be a bit of a wrestle with onshore and cross-shore winds, but things start to clean up as we get towards the back half of the window.

Right off the bat, the start of the period is pretty junky. Saturday the 8th and Sunday the 9th have some decent south-southwest swell pushing in at 7ft to 8ft, but the cross-shore winds are going to chop it all up. The energy is moderate, with readings around 1757 to 2777, but it’s not going to be worth paddling out for anything but a beatdown. The water temp is 85°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year, so at least you won’t need a wetsuit.

Monday the 10th brings a slight drop in size, down to 4ft in the morning, but there’s a new, longer-period swell (21 seconds) that pushes the energy up to 2845. The wind is still light and cross-shore, so it’s not going to be perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction. Tuesday the 11th sees the swell bump back up to 8ft with a 17-second period, and the energy jumps to a strong 4707. Still, the wind is cross-shore, so it’s going to be a bit lumpy.

The real standout in this whole run is the morning of Friday the 14th. We’ve got 8ft of south swell with a 16-second period, and the energy is a solid 3303. But the key is the wind: only a light 3 mph ESE breeze, which is cross-offshore. That’s going to clean the face right up. This is the best conditions we’ve seen all week, and it’s going to be well worth the paddle out at Gilligans. It’s a very consistent reef break, so it’ll be handling this swell well. The swell direction is south, which is the optimum direction for the reef here. This is a proper window for the experienced crew.

The following week is a bit more of a waiting game. There’s a big pulse of energy arriving around Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th, with 10ft swells and energy readings pushing up to 5526. That’s a lot of power. The winds are still cross-shore, and with size like that, it’s going to be a heavy, challenging wave. This is only for the experts, and it might be a bit of a washing machine. The period is around 16-17 seconds, which is solid groundswell, but at a reef, it could be pretty shifty.

The last weekend of the window, the 22nd and 23rd, sees the swell back down to 5ft to 8ft, with the energy dropping off. The winds are still cross-shore, so it’s not looking like a classic. The morning of the 23rd has a bit more period at 19 seconds, but the overall picture is just average.

So, to sum it up: the pick of the entire 16-day run is the Friday morning session on the 14th. That’s the one to circle on the calendar. The bigger days around the 19th and 20th are for the brave, but the cross-shore winds will make it a battle. There are a few other days with waves, but nothing that’s going to have you calling in sick for work. It’s all about picking the right window.

Rusty.

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