Hobe Sound/The Refuge Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, let’s dive into what’s cookin’ for Hobe Sound/The Refuge. Gotta be honest, the next couple of weeks are looking mighty quiet. We’re in a long stretch of small, weak surf with no real energy on the horizon. From now until the end of July, the wave energy is a fraction of what we’d like to see, mostly hanging out between 1 and 29 (weak). There’s a solid gap of several days here where you won’t find anything worth paddling out for.

The water temp is right around average for this time of year, nothing special.

Let’s break it down day by day. Monday the 13th and Tuesday the 14th, we’ve got swells under 2 ft with periods under 8 seconds – that’s just sloppy wind chop. Wednesday the 15th morning is glassy, real clean, but that 2 ft northeast swell at 8 seconds (29 energy) is still a baby wave. That same little northeast swell hangs in there through Thursday and Friday, but the wind starts to mess with the surface.

By Saturday the 18th afternoon, the onshore wind picks up to 12 mph from the southeast, churning up a weak 2 ft southeast swell. Not for paddling. That southeast wind, gusting up to 16 mph, becomes a regular guest through the following week. Tuesday the 21st afternoon is a prime example: 2 ft swell at 3 seconds with a strong cross-onshore breeze. Fellers, that’s a kite surfer’s dream, not a paddle surfer’s.

We get a few moments of calm, like Wednesday morning the 22nd – dead calm, glassy – but the swell is only 0.7 ft. You could float around, but there’s nothing to ride.

The last few days of July, from the 25th on, bring the threat of thunderstorms and persistent onshore winds, with the swell staying in the ankle-biter range. No standout days here, not a single one.

It’s a flat spell. But keep an eye on it – forecasts can change, and it never stays this dead for long around here. For now, the boards are gathering dust.

- Rusty

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