Banks Peninsula - Hickory Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Righto, let's have a look at what's on offer for the region. The forecast starts off pretty grim, but if you're patient, there's a real window of clean waves coming through.

The first few days are a write-off. Saturday the 25th of July is a total mess with strong onshore winds and lumpy, short-period swell. Sunday the 26th isn't much better, just small, marginal lines with a cross-onshore breeze. Monday the 27th is still a bit of a mixed bag in the morning, but then the wind really plays ball.

Now, the standout window is from Monday the 27th of July afternoon through to Wednesday the 29th of July. Hickory-Bay (Banks Peninsula) is going to be the spot. The winds go light and offshore, sometimes glassy, which is a major positive. The swell fills in from the ESE at 4.3ft to 5.2ft, with a period of 13 seconds – that's a proper groundswell with some push. The combined energy is strong, sitting between 704 and 909. This is going to be clean, lined-up surf. Keep in mind that long period swell like this can break a bit straight at a beach break, but the banks here should handle it. Crowds could be a factor though, as it's a "sometimes" busy spot.

Thursday the 30th of July gets a fresh offshore breeze, which cleans it up, but the swell drops right off and the energy is weak. Friday the 31st of July is another no-go, with a return to onshore winds and a messy, short-period swell.

Then, look out for Saturday the 1st of August. The morning has a solid 5.9ft swell from the SSW, with a good 10-second period and a gentle offshore wind. The combined energy is a very strong 1188 – this is excellent, powerful surf. It's a session for experienced surfers, as it's heading towards the 5ft mark. The afternoon drops off a touch but remains clean. After that, it gets a bit messy again with lumpy conditions and onshore winds for the next few days.

The following week gets interesting, but with a big caveat. From Thursday the 6th of August through to Saturday the 8th of August, there's some serious size. The swell hits 11.5ft and 9.8ft with a very long 14-15 second period. The combined energy is massive, over 8000. The problem is, the file says it's too big for this break. That's big, powerful, and dangerous for anyone but the most expert. The wind is favourable though, so if you're a top-level charger, that Saturday the 8th of August afternoon has a 6.6ft south swell with a clean cross-off breeze and a combined energy of 1731. That's a proper, expert-only slab.

Sunday the 9th of August calms down to a nice, clean 3.9ft from the SE with a gentle offshore, a good way to finish the run.

So, overall, the best on offer is the clean, offshore window from Monday the 27th of July afternoon through to Wednesday the 29th of July for the intermediate crew. For the experts, the big, clean swell on Saturday the 1st of August morning and the huge, clean lines on Saturday the 8th of August are the ones to circle.

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