Hanamizu River Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. We’re lookin’ at a pretty grim stretch for the Hanamizu River. Honestly, you’re gonna be sittin’ this one out for a while.

We start off on Sunday, July 19th, and it’s just no good. Tiny swell, a measly 1 foot from the southeast, with a short period of 8 seconds, and the wind is cross-on from the south at 6 mph. The water is a warm 78°, which is about average for this time of year, but that’s the only nice thing I can say. The combined energy is a weak 18, and it’s just poor. It stays flat and messy right through the week.

There’s a real gap here. From Sunday the 19th all the way through to Monday the 27th, there’s nothing worth paddlin’ out for. We’re talkin’ over a week of tiny, weak waves or just straight-up poor conditions. We get a brief moment of glass on Tuesday the 21st morning, but the swell is a pathetic 2 feet from the southwest with a period of just 4 seconds. It’s barely a ripple. The energy is still weak at 18.

The first real sign of life doesn’t show up until Tuesday, July 28th. That morning, we finally see a bump in swell. The Hanamizu River (beach/sandbar) is lookin’ at 4 feet from the south with a 14-second period. The wind is glassy, dead calm, so it’ll be clean. The combined energy jumps to a moderate 494. It’s not huge, but after a week of nothin’, that’s a welcome change. The morning is the only window though, as the afternoon turns messy with a cross-on wind.

Then Wednesday the 29th looks promising but comes with a warning. The swell builds to 6 feet from the south, with a very long 15-second period. This is proper groundswell, and it’s packin’ a strong punch with an energy of 1547. But listen, that’s a lot of power. A 6 foot swell with that period is goin’ to be a big, powerful wave. It’s not for beginners, and it’s gettin’ close to the “experts only” zone. The problem is the wind. It’s cross-on from the south at 6 mph in the morning, which is okay, but the afternoon gets a strong 15 mph cross-on, turnin’ it into a choppy mess. The long period also means it’ll be a bit straight at the beach break, but it’s a river mouth, so it might find a way to line up.

The standout, if you can call it that, is Thursday, July 30th. The swell is 7 feet from the south, with a 15-second period. That’s a big, powerful wave. The combined energy is a whoppin’ 2097 – very strong. Now, the morning has a cross wind from the northeast at 6 mph, which is a bit messy. But the real moment is the afternoon. The wind goes completely glassy, dead calm from the north-northeast, and the swell eases to a still-chunky 6 feet from the south-southeast with a 14-second period. The energy is still a strong 1162. This is the best window in the whole forecast. The conditions are clean, the swell is solid. But it’s a big wave, so only for the experienced crew. The long period means it’ll be a bit straight at the beach, but it’s worth a look.

After that, the swell drops off fast. Friday, July 31st sees it fadin’ to 3 feet with a 12-second period, and the wind is onshore again. The first week of August looks like a return to the small, weak, and onshore pattern we started with, with energy levels droppin’ back into the hundreds.

So, bottom line: There’s a long, dry spell. The best bet is squarely on Thursday, July 30th afternoon for the experienced crew. The Tuesday morning before that is a decent smaller option for the beginners if they just want clean, weak waves. Everything else is a skip.

Rusty out.

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