Inch Strand Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what’s coming our way for the next couple of weeks.

Right off the bat, we’ve got a bit of a slow start. The first few days will see some tiny, rideable waves, but nothing to get excited about. The main event is a real monster that’s brewing for the very end of the month. For now, let’s take it day by day.

We kick off on Tuesday the 14th of July at Inch Strand. The morning's got a clean 1 ft of swell from the SW with a long 18-second period, giving us a moderate wave energy of 151. It's small, but that long period means those sets will have some push. The light ENE breeze has the surface looking clean. By the afternoon, the swell drops a touch to 2 ft from the W, but the period crashes to 10 seconds, and the breeze picks up. It's surfable, but it's ordinary. This pattern holds for Wednesday the 15th and Thursday the 16th. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual there.

Thursday afternoon on the 16th is actually the first little highlight of the run. The breeze goes totally glassy, with the wind dropping to 0 mph. That's a major positive. The 1.0 ft of SSW swell (period 14 seconds, energy 72) isn't going to blow your mind, but those conditions will be as clean as a whistle. For a beginner spot, this is a window to get a few fun, silky rides.

Now, here's the truth. From Friday the 17th of July all the way through to Saturday the 26th, we hit a long, dry spell. That's about a week and a half of poor surf conditions. The waves are tiny, the energy is low, and the winds are mostly cross-off or cross-shore. It’s a real blank run.

And then… hold onto your board. On Sunday the 26th of July, the ocean wakes up. Big time. We see a massive jump. Wave energy hits 1249, coming from the west at a solid 8 ft with a 10-second period. But here’s the kicker: this swell is predicted to be too big for Inch Strand. The wind is light and onshore in the morning, turning to a 16 mph cross-on by the afternoon making it choppy. This is a dangerous situation for a beginner break.

Monday the 27th stays huge. The swell is 10 ft from the WNW, with wave energy screaming at 1903. Again, the forecast says it’s too big for this break. The morning wind is a gentle cross-shore, but by the afternoon it's a fresh 19 mph cross-on making it lumpy.

The Standout: The one and only true standout is that incredible glassy window on Thursday afternoon, the 16th of July. It won't be big, but for clean, small-wave fun on a beginner-friendly break, that is your moment. That’s the best on offer for the whole outlook.

So, get out there on Thursday if you can, but be prepared for a long wait after that. If the end-of-month swell event holds its size and direction, it’s an expert-only affair, and a tricky one at that. It might actually look more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing with that strong wind setting up on the big days. But that’s the story from here.

Keep waxing, keep watching.

Rusty.

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