Horse Trails Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu for Horse Trails over the next couple of weeks. It’s going to be a tale of two halves, with some absolute magic in the middle.

The overall pattern shows a slow start, then a real spike of powerful, long-period groundswell setting up some of the best waves we’ve seen in a while. The water temp is sitting right around 58° right now, which is about 2° cooler than usual for this time of year – nothing too crazy, just a touch of winter bite.

We’ve got a bit of a wait, though. The first few days are a write-off. Sunday the 19th and Monday the 20th are offering small, weak, messy waves with poor wind. The combined energy is weak, under 1000 (419–807), and the period is short. Not worth getting wet for.

Then it all changes. Tuesday the 21st morning is your first real standout. The swell jumps to 7ft from the SW, with a proper 14-second period. The energy is 1715 – that’s a solid, moderate wave. But the real kicker is the wind: glassy, dead calm. This is going to be clean, lined-up, and powerful. It’s a bit much for beginners at 7ft, but for the intermediate crew, this is the session to circle. The crowd factor is something to be aware of here – it’s a spot that can get busy, so get in early.

Wednesday the 22nd and Thursday the 23rd hold in that 7ft to 7ft range, but the wind gets a bit messy. Thursday afternoon, however, is a real sleeper. The swell is 8ft, period is 16 seconds – that’s very long period groundswell – and the energy is a massive 3520. The wind goes glassy again. This is going to be a freight train. The long period means it’ll be better on the takeoff, but at a sandbar, watch for it to straighten out a bit. This is expert territory at this size.

Now, Friday the 24th is a warning. The swell is predicted to be 12ft in the morning, with energy at 4362. That’s huge. This break is going to be too big for most, maybe even dangerous. If you’re a paddle surfer, you might want to sit this one out; the setup looks like it could be more for the kite crew.

The following Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th drop back to a more manageable 8ft and 5ft, with clean conditions in the mornings. The swell shifts a touch to the WSW, which is still good.

The second week, from the 27th of July onwards, is less certain. The sizes are still decent – mostly 6ft to 8ft – but the wind is a bit more onshore or cross-shore, making things choppier. There’s a glimmer on the 31st of July morning, with a 7ft SSE swell and glassy conditions again. And then the 1st of August has a clean 7ft swell with cross-offshore winds. But by the 2nd and 3rd of August, the energy drops right off to under 400, and the surf turns small and weak again.

So, to sum it up: the standout is Tuesday the 21st of July morning for the glassy, clean, powerful SW groundswell. And if you’re an expert looking for a big one, Thursday the 23rd afternoon is your heavyweight session. Get on it.

Rusty.

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