Halfway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cookin’.

We’re starting off with a bit of a slow burn at Halfway. The first few days, from Friday the 24th through to the following Thursday the 30th of July, are pretty underwhelming. Swell is there, but it’s mostly small, around 3 ft to 5 ft, and the wind is a steady cross-off from the SE, which keeps things clean but not exactly firing. The combined energy is moderate, sitting in the 800-1400 range, but the wave comment is shouting “marginal” the whole time. It’s one of those stretches where you’d be better off checking the tide charts than waxing up.

There’s a raw, offshore wind on Monday morning the 27th, with 7 ft of swell, but the period drops to 8 seconds – that’s short-period, wind-affected junk. It’ll be clean but super hard to paddle into and the waves will be fat and weak. Not worth the effort.

Then we hit a real dry spell. The forecast doesn’t offer anything that gets the heart pumping until we get into August. That’s a big gap of about three days where the surf is just not doing anything special.

Now, the real standout starts to show its face on the 1st of August. Saturday morning brings 5 ft of clean, long-period groundswell from the SSW, with a 16-second period. The energy jumps to 1636, and it’s building. Saturday afternoon sees the swell bump to 6 ft and the period hits 18 seconds, with energy surging to 2577. This is where it gets interesting. The wind is a moderate cross-off, keeping the surface glassy. The SSW direction is perfect for this spot, and those long intervals mean the waves will have real shape and power. It’s a bit big for beginners, but for intermediates, this is a serious session.

Sunday the 2nd of August is the cream of the crop. Morning has 6 ft SSW groundswell at 16 seconds, and the afternoon builds to 8 ft with 18-second periods, energy hitting 3407. The water is sitting at a warm 80°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there. The wind stays light and cross-off. This is pure, clean, powerful surf. The only word of caution: with a period that long, the waves can suck a lot of water off the banks at a beach break, making them close out or bend too straight. But if the banks are right, it’ll be a dream.

As we roll into the next week, the 4th of August has a solid 8 ft SSW swell, which is expert territory. The wind is still cross-off, but the energy is huge at 3643. Wednesday the 5th of August morning has a true standout: 7 ft SSW swell, 16-second period, and the wind is offshore from the ESE at 15 mph. The comment says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” That’s the one to circle. The waves will be clean, hollow, and powerful.

The rest of the second week, from the 6th to the 8th of August, stays solid with 5 ft to 6 ft SSW groundswell, but the wind stays cross-off and the energy remains high. It’s consistent, but not as clean as that Wednesday morning. The 8th of August Saturday has a long-period SW swell at 20 seconds, which is a beautiful sign, but the rain showers and fresh cross-off wind might chop it up a bit.

Overall, the best on offer is the Sunday the 2nd of August through to Wednesday morning the 5th of August. The waves have size, direction, and period. The wind is favorable. This is a classic mid-winter run. Get out there.

Rusty.

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