Hideaway Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, mate, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a tricky one. Hideaway is a rare-breaking reef setup that’s advanced-only, so don’t expect to just paddle out whenever. The water’s sitting at 78°, which is about normal for this time of year, so that’s fine.

The outlook kicks off Thursday the 23rd of July, but it’s pretty grim. Thursday morning has a 6ft southerly swell with a 10-second period, but that cross-on 25 km/h wind from the southeast is going to chop it up. The combined energy is strong (1195), but the surf is poor. Thursday afternoon drops to 4ft but with a 16-second period from the south-southwest, so it’s got some groundswell grunt (1350 energy), but it’s cross-shore and messy. Not worth your time.

Friday the 24th is a little cleaner. The morning has a 4ft swell from the south-southeast, 9-second period, and the wind is a cross-offshore breeze from the east at 20 km/h. The energy is moderate (526), and the report says it’s clean. Still, it’s only marginal. Saturday morning the 25th is better: 3ft from the south-southwest, a long 14-second period, light east breeze at 15 km/h, and clean. Energy is moderate (407). That’s a nice little window for a quiet session, but it’s small.

Sunday the 26th is a write-off with tiny, messy surf. Then Monday the 27th brings a big jump: 7ft on the morning from the south-southwest, 16-second period, and a massive 2379 energy reading. But the wind is cross-shore and choppy, so it’s still marginal. The afternoon gets bigger at 8ft, but it’s cross-onshore and messy. That’s expert-only territory, and honestly, not that clean.

The big standout? Look at Wednesday the 29th of July. Morning session: 6ft from the south-southwest, a solid 13-second period, and the wind is a gentle 15 km/h cross-offshore from the east. The energy is strong (1009), and the report says it’s excellent for experienced surfers. Clean. That’s the one to circle. Best of the first week for sure.

After that, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. Thursday the 30th afternoon has a 6ft from the east-southeast, but only a 7-second period, so it’s weak and wind-swell. Clean, but not great. Saturday the 1st of August morning is marginal again at 4ft, but the wind is cross-off.

Then we get a beauty on Sunday the 2nd of August morning: 4ft from the south-southwest, 14-second period, light east breeze at 10 km/h, and very good conditions. Energy is moderate (692). Clean, easy paddling.

And the second standout? Monday the 3rd of August morning. Glassy. 5ft from the south-southwest, 12-second period, and the wind is basically nothing from the northwest at 5 km/h. Glassy. Energy is moderate (867). That’s as clean as it gets. Perfect for a wave-hungry surfer.

After that, the wind turns onshore and the conditions get rougher. The end of the outlook, Thursday the 6th of August, has a massive 10ft south-southwest swell with a 15-second period and 6014 energy, but it’s cross-shore and lumpy. Not clean. Friday the 7th is similar: 10ft, but the wind is a fresh 30 km/h cross-shore. That’s big, heavy, and messy. Only for experts, and even then, tough.

So, bottom line: The best windows are Wednesday the 29th of July morning and Monday the 3rd of August morning. Both are clean, have decent energy, and the wind is your friend. The rest is either too small, too windy, or too big and messy. Hideaway is a rare spot, so when it lines up, it’s special. But don’t expect crowds to be a problem—it’s only sometimes busy.

Rusty out.

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