Hat Head Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Hat Head.

To be honest, the next few days are a bit of a write-off. We’ve got a real gap in the surf here. From now through to Tuesday the 15th, it’s looking pretty flat and ordinary. You’ll see tiny waves, poor conditions, and not much to get excited about. That’s about a four-day stretch of nothing doing.

The first real glimmer of hope comes on Wednesday morning, the 15th of July. We’ve got a bump in swell showing up, about 5 feet from the south with a short period of 6 seconds. The wind is offshore from the SSW at 12 mph, which is a major positive. The combined energy is moderate at best (230), but it’ll be clean and rideable for a beginner. The afternoon holds a bit more size at 6 feet, but the wind picks up to 16 mph, still offshore though. It’s a start.

Thursday the 16th sees the swell bump up to 8 feet from the SSE, but the wind turns cross-offshore and the period is still short at 8 seconds. The energy is moderate (762), but the conditions are a bit marginal. This is getting into the size that’s more for the experienced crew.

Now, mark your calendars for the real standout. The morning of Friday the 17th of July is where it’s at. We’ve got a solid 7 feet of ESE groundswell rolling in with a 10-second period, and the wind is offshore from the south at 9 mph. The combined energy is strong (1047), and the report says excellent conditions for experienced surfers. This is the peak of the run. The size is over 6 feet, so it’s for the confident surfer only, but the clean, offshore lines will make it worth the paddle out. That ESE direction is bang on the money for what Hat Head likes.

The swell holds through the weekend and into the start of the next week. Saturday the 18th is still pumping with 7 feet ESE and gentle offshore winds. Sunday the 19th morning is another cracker, with 8 feet from the east and clean conditions. The energy is getting very strong (1202). By Monday the 20th, it’s a full 10 feet of ESE swell, and the wind is offshore from the west. That’s serious power (1936) and only for the experts.

The highlight of the entire run, though, is Tuesday the 21st of July morning. We’re looking at a massive 10 feet swell from the ESE with a very long period of 13 seconds. The energy is pumping at a massive 2536. With the wind offshore from the SSW at 9 mph, you’ll have clean, powerful lines wrapping into the point. This is a serious, heavy groundswell – the kind that gets the heart rate up. It’s a long-period swell, so it’ll have those long lulls between sets, making the paddle out easier, but the waves themselves will have real punch. This is the pick of the entire 16-day window by a long shot.

After that, the swell slowly backs off through the rest of the week, but it stays clean. By Thursday the 23rd, we’re down to about 5 feet from the ESE, still with a long period and offshore winds. Then into the final weekend, Saturday the 25th of July, the swell drops to a clean 3 feet and glassy conditions. That’s a fun little session for the longboard.

So, to sum it up: there’s a big gap of flatness at the start, but once the swell kicks in from the 15th, it’s a solid run. The absolute standout is the morning of Tuesday the 21st of July – that’s the big one for the experienced surfers. The water temp is about 68°F, which is pretty average for this time of year, nothing unusual.

Stay safe out there, and don’t get caught inside on the big days.

Rusty.

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