Hanamizu River Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty again. Let's break down what's cookin' for the next couple of weeks in units you might be more used to.

The first real chance to get wet is gonna be Thursday, July 9th at Hanamizu River, but don't get your hopes up too high. We got a south swell around 5 feet with a long 14-second period. That's groundswell, and on a sandbar setup like this, those long-period waves can stand up fast and close out. The morning's clear with a light SSE wind at 6 mph, blowing onshore. Not ideal. Water temp's about average for the time of year. The energy's moderate, reading (937).

Thursday afternoon it goes downhill – wind picks up to 9 mph from the south, cross-onshore, and the waves get messy. The swell drops a hair to around 5 feet. That morning session is the only shot, and it's a gamble with the tides.

Friday morning the 10th, the swell bumps to 5 feet from the south, period stretching to 15 seconds. Even longer gaps between sets. The wind is still cross-onshore from the SSE at 6 mph. The energy is stronger, moderate (1685), but conditions are "marginal". You'll be scratching for a good one. Friday afternoon is a write-off with 12 mph winds making it choppy.

Saturday the 11th brings bigger stuff – 7 feet from the SSW with a 17-second period. That's a very long period groundswell, and that size is for experts only. For this beach break, that long period is gonna make the waves dumpy and tough to get into. The morning has cross-onshore wind at 6 mph, but the energy is strong (2605). If you're a charger, there's a big lump in there, but the rest of us are on the beach. Afternoon is blown out.

The best window is looking like Sunday morning, July 12th. The swell drops to a more manageable 6 feet from the SSW, still a long 16-second period. But the wind goes near glassy – just 3 mph from the SSW. It's still technically cross-onshore, but barely a breath. The energy is still moderate (1428). The forecast says "marginal", but that light wind will make it the cleanest we see for a while. If I'm paddling out anywhere, it's that Sunday morning before the clouds and possible thunderstorms roll in.

After that, it's a long, flat spell. From Monday the 13th through to around Monday the 20th, the swell just packs up. Wave heights drop to 1 feet to 2 feet, short periods, and weak energy (as low as 31). The wind does go glassy on the Monday and Tuesday mornings (the 13th and 14th), but there's simply no wave to ride. At a beach break with no energy, this setup would actually look better for kite surfing than paddle surfing for that period.

There is a tiny pulse around the 21st of July, nearly two weeks out. Swell comes back to 3 feet from the south with a 14-second period. The energy is moderate (567). But the wind is onshore in the morning, and the afternoon is cross-onshore and choppy. Then the 22nd has a glassy morning with 3-foot waves, but the period is short (10 seconds) and the energy is weak (127). It's technically surfable, but nothing to write home about.

To sum it up: The pick of the litter is early Sunday morning, July 12th. It's not a classic, but it's the best combo of size and clean conditions we got. After that, we're looking at a dry spell over a week long. This is pretty normal for the area to go quiet like this, but forecasts can always change. Keep an eye out.

Rusty.

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