Indicators Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – this stretch ain’t looking like any kind of treasure hunt. The swell direction is completely wrong for the only break we’ve got in the mix, Indicators (point break). It’s a sheltered spot that needs WNW swell to work, but the whole 16-day window is full of SSW and SW swell. That’s a fundamental mismatch. The water’s a balmy 60° right now, which is about 4° warmer than normal for this time of year – that’s a real standout, but it’s not gonna fix the waves.

We kick off on Tuesday, July 14, with a tiny 2 ft SSW swell, but it’s 13 seconds and clean onshore wind. The combined energy is only 220 – weak. It’s poor stuff. Wednesday the 15th brings a 4 ft WNW swell, but the period is a short 8 seconds, which is just windswell, not proper groundswell. The energy bumps up to 320, but still weak. Thursday the 16th we see the biggest swell of the whole run – 6 ft WNW in the morning, then 7 ft in the afternoon – but it’s all short 8-second period with cross-onshore winds that get to 12 mph in the arvo. The energy climbs to 794 (moderate), but with onshore wind and short period, it’s a messy, choppy mess. Friday the 17th morning holds 6 ft NW swell, but again, short period and onshore. By Friday afternoon, the swell drops to 2 ft but the period jumps to 17 seconds – that’s a nice long groundswell, but it’s from the wrong direction and the energy is 556 (moderate). Still not worth a paddle.

From Saturday, July 18, through to the end of the month, we’ve got a run of tiny 2 ft to 3 ft swells, mostly from SSW and SW, with short periods below 8 seconds or long periods that don’t matter because the direction is wrong. The energy fluctuates from 210 up to 997, but it’s all directed at a spot that doesn’t want it. One brief moment of hope on Wednesday, July 22, afternoon: glassy conditions, 3 ft SSW swell with 14-second period, and the energy is 364 (weak). The wind is glassy, but the swell is from the wrong direction, and the surf comment says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions.” That’s the best we get, and it’s not saying much.

The break is rated for advanced surfers only, and it’s fairly consistent, but it’s also often crowded. With the wrong swell direction, the setup is more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. There’s a gap of zero good options from the start through to July 29 – basically the whole 16 days. It’s a blank run, and for this area, that’s more normal than not. The water stays warm, but the waves are a no-go.

Rusty.

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