Japs Cove Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s break it down for the next 16 days. I’ll be straight with you, mate—it’s a rough patch. Japs Cove is the only spot in the picture, and it’s a sheltered reef that’s inconsistent and only for advanced surfers. The water temperature is 71°F, which is a solid 6°F warmer than normal for this time of year—that’s pretty unusual, and you’ll notice it, but it doesn’t fix the surf.

From Saturday morning, July 18, through to Sunday, August 2, it’s the same story: poor surf conditions. The swell is tiny—1 ft to 4 ft—and it’s coming from the SSW, which is the best direction for this break, but the wind is almost always cross-onshore, messing up any chance of clean waves. The period jumps around from 8 seconds up to 26 seconds, but even those longer groundswells aren’t helping because the wind is chopping the surface. The combined energy is moderate to strong (values like 221, 575, 686), so there’s push in the water, but it’s not turning into rideable surf.

There are a few mornings that get a marginal rating—like Tuesday, July 21 morning, Sunday, July 26 morning, Monday, July 27 morning, Tuesday, July 28 morning and afternoon, and Wednesday, July 29 afternoon—but even those are iffy, with questionable tide or light but still cross-onshore wind. The swell is still under 3 ft, and the wind is light but not clean. Honestly, none of these are worth getting excited about. The best you’d get is a tiny, weak wave with a bumpy face.

Because Japs Cove is a sheltered reef that rarely breaks, this kind of dry spell is pretty normal for the area. But don’t give up entirely—forecasts can change, and sometimes a sneaky window opens up. For now, I’d say leave the board at home and maybe go for a dip in that warm water. It’s not worth paddling out for this.

Rusty.

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