Banks Peninsula - Hickory Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here, looking at the surf ahead for us at Hickory Bay, out on Banks Peninsula. We’ve got a decent little window coming up, but you’ve gotta pick your moments. The water’s running a touch warmer than average for this time of year, about 51°, which is nice.

Alright, let’s kick things off. Tuesday morning, the 21st of July, we’re waking up to a solid swell from the south at 6ft, with a long period of 13 seconds. That’s some real groundswell energy, and with a light NNW cross-off breeze, it’s gonna be clean as a whistle. The combined energy is pumping at 1065, and it’s gonna be excellent for those of us who’ve got a bit of experience under our belt. This is the standout of the whole forecast – get out there Tuesday morning. Tuesday afternoon drops a touch to 5ft, but the wind goes full offshore, so it’ll hold up nicely too.

Wednesday the 22nd is a step down. The swell drops to 3ft in the morning, but it’s a bit of a cross-on wind, making it marginal. Not worth getting too excited about. Thursday the 23rd has even smaller surf, though the morning has a clean offshore. It’s only 1.0ft though, so you’ll be chasing tiny waves.

Then we hit a real flat spell from Friday the 24th through Sunday the 26th. The swell gets tiny, and Saturday the 25th is a write-off with a strong cross-onshore wind and messy 10ft junky swell. That’s a day to stay on the couch.

Now, Monday the 27th is interesting but messy. We get a shift in swell direction from the ESE at 6ft with a long 14-second period. The combined energy is strong at 1715, but the wind is a cross-shore chop, making it a bit lumpy. Not the cleanest, but there’s power there. The 28th of July, Tuesday, we see a big jump – 10ft of SE swell, with a very long 14-second period. The energy is huge at 3365, but that’s too big for Hickory Bay. Unless you’re a real expert, this is gonna be a washing machine. Same for Wednesday the 29th and Thursday the 30th – big, powerful swell, but all too much for this spot. A lot of that second week is just oversized and messy.

We finally get a reset on Tuesday the 4th of August. Now this is a beauty. Glassy conditions in the morning, with a 6ft south swell at 12 seconds. The energy is solid at 1035, and the wind is dead calm. That’s as good as it gets for experienced surfers. The afternoon stays clean with a light offshore. Wednesday the 5th of August keeps it going with 5ft and light offshores – more good, clean waves.

So, to be straight with you: the absolute best on offer is Tuesday the 21st of July, morning session. Clean, powerful, and that south groundswell will have some real push. The backup is Tuesday the 4th of August, but that’s a long way out, so keep an eye on it. Get it while you can.

Rusty.

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