Hobson County Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve got to be straight with you – this next 16-day stretch for Hobson County Park is a tough one to write. I’ve been staring at the charts, and honestly, there’s not a single decent wave on offer from now through to the 13th of August. Every single session is labeled as poor surf conditions, and that’s the long and short of it.

We start off on Wednesday the 29th of July with a tiny 2ft swell from the SSW, but the wind is onshore out of the WSW at 9 mph, and the combined energy is only 276 (moderate wave energy). The water’s a balmy 69°, which is a massive 6° warmer than usual – that’s very unusual for this time of year, almost like bath water. But it doesn’t matter how warm it is when the waves are junk. The swell is coming from a very long-period groundswell at 16 seconds, which on a reef break like this can sometimes give a nice line, but with the wind ruining it, there’s no hope.

The rest of the month and into August is more of the same. Thursday morning the 30th sees a drop to 2ft with a cross-on breeze, and the energy dips to 247 (moderate). The afternoon is even worse at 1ft. Friday the 31st stays tiny, and the pattern just keeps grinding on. By Saturday the 1st of August, the swell is a mix of weak W and SSW pulses, but the period drops to 9 seconds at one point, meaning it’s just a messy, weak windswell. The combined energy falls to triple and then double digits – 133, 109, 191 (still moderate), but none of it matters.

From the 3rd of August onward, things get really sad. The swell heights hover around 1.0ft to 2ft, and the combined energy plummets to 95, 77, 71, and even 44 by the 5th. That’s weak wave energy, folks. The wind is either onshore or cross-on, and the periods, while occasionally long like 15 to 20 seconds, just mean you’ll be bobbing around waiting for a wave that barely breaks. The 6th of August has a 0.7ft swell with a 20-second period – that’s a whisper, not a wave – and energy of just 73 (weak). The 7th and 8th see a slight uptick in energy back to 121 and 152 (moderate), but the swell is still tiny at 1.0ft to 1ft, and the wind is onshore.

The second week, from the 9th to the 13th of August, is a total blank. The 9th has 2ft at 15 seconds, energy 154 (moderate), but poor conditions. The 10th is 1ft, and the 11th has a weird 18-second period on 1ft, energy 184 (moderate), but it’s still poor. The 12th and 13th are the same story – 1ft to 2ft, onshore wind, poor surf. There’s a 13-day gap here with no recommendations at all.

Hobson County Park is a consistent reef break that’s fairly exposed to WNW swell, but the optimum direction is SSW, and we’re getting that, just not enough size. It’s advanced-only anyway, but there’s nothing to ride. The water stays warm, but the waves are missing. This is one of those blank runs that’s more normal for the area – it can be fickle. But don’t lose hope; forecasts can change, and there’s usually a pulse around the corner.

Rusty.

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