Hope Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with a look at what’s shaping up for our stretch of coast over the next couple of weeks. It’s a bit of a mixed bag, but don’t write it off just yet.

The pattern for this period is one of powerful, long-period groundswell arriving in waves, but we’ve got some tricky winds and a few flat spells to navigate. The standout sessions are going to be the ones where the wind plays ball with that big southerly energy.

We kick off with a proper block of swell, but the conditions are a mess. Sunday, July 5th starts with a thumping 10ft south swell at 17 seconds, with a massive combined energy of 5894 – that’s strong energy. But the wind is a firm cross-onshore at 12 mph, so it’s going to be choppy and pretty average. It settles a touch in the arvo as the wind drops to 6 mph, but it’s still cross-on. This one’s for the crew with bigger boards and patience.

Monday, July 6th is where it starts to get interesting. A clean 5ft south swell is met with a light offshore NNW breeze at 6 mph. The combined energy is at 920, and the conditions are looking clean. Tuesday the 7th also offers a morning window with a light offshore and a long-period 4ft SSW groundswell. These are your first real good windows, but the swell’s on the way down.

The real eye-opener, the standout of the whole forecast, is Wednesday, July 8th. We’ve got a gorgeous 6ft south swell, period of 18 seconds, rolling in. The combined energy is solid at 2166. Critically, the morning wind is a gentle offshore from the NNW at 9 mph. That’s a recipe for some seriously clean, lined-up waves. This is the pick of the crop for experienced surfers – that long period will push through with real power, so save your energy for the set waves. A glassy morning, a bit of juice in the water, that’s what we live for. The water temp is around 53°, which is a touch below average for this time of year – about 1° cooler, so a decent spring suit is your friend.

After Wednesday, the swell drops right off. We get a bit of a cleanup on Thursday and Friday mornings with small, clean waves (3ft to 4ft) under offshore or cross-off breezes, but nothing to get too excited about. Then there’s a proper flat spell. From Saturday, July 11th through to Sunday, July 12th, the waves drop to barely a ripple (0.7ft to 2ft). A couple of days with almost nothing to ride.

A new pulse of groundswell tries to build again around Monday, July 13th, with a waist-high 4ft SSW swell carrying a very long 19-second period. It’s clean under a cross-off wind, but the energy is only moderate (964). Worth a look.

Then things get wild. From Tuesday, July 14th to Thursday, July 16th, the wind cranks up. We’re looking at fresh to strong breezes (19 to 28 mph) from the WSW and SW, creating messy, lumpy cross-shore conditions. Even though the swell bumps up to a solid 8ft to 10ft on the 15th and 16th with huge energy readings (4346 and 5212), the wind is howling. This setup looks far more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing, honestly. It’s going to be a washing machine out there unless you’re a masochist.

After that wind event, the last few days of the outlook fade out again. From Friday, July 17th onwards, we’re back to small, clean but unremarkable waves under a mix of cross-off winds. A few knee-high days to close out.

Best Bet: Set your alarm for Wednesday morning, July 8th at Hope Beach. That 6ft south swell with the light offshore wind is the only true classic window in the whole forecast. It’s a spot that’s “inconsistent” and can get “sometimes” crowded, but when it’s on like this, it’s worth sharing the water. For the second week, keep an eye on Monday the 13th for a hopeful long-period bump, but treat that one as a long-range hope more than a certainty.

Rusty.

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