Johanna Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, it’s Rusty here. We’ve got a big pulse of south-west swell coming through for Johanna, but it’s gonna be a mixed bag over the next couple of weeks. The water temp is sitting at 58°, which is about average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

The first real surf on offer kicks off Tuesday morning, 21 July. Johanna is seeing a solid 8 ft swell from the WSW, with a period of 13 seconds, and the wind is a clean cross-off from the north. That’s 9 mph of breeze keeping the face tidy. The combined energy is strong at 2587. It’s good, but this is experienced territory at that size. That same setup holds into the afternoon.

Wednesday morning, 22 July, the swell drops a bit to 6 ft from the west, with a shorter 11-second period. Wind is still cross-off from the NW at 12 mph, but the energy has dropped to 1505. It’s still clean but the wave quality is marginal. Wednesday afternoon turns ugly: wind swings to the west at 16 mph, cross-on, and the swell jumps to 8 ft but with a messy onshore chop. Avoid it.

Thursday, 23 July, is a write-off. The swell spikes to 15 ft–16 ft from the SW, but it’s all cross-on wind, 16–22 mph, and the energy is pumping at 8861–9162. That’s just a lumpy, blown-out mess for surfers, though it might look interesting for kite surfing.

Friday, 24 July, is still massive: 16 ft–18 ft from the SW, with periods of 14–15 seconds and energy at 12920. The wind is cross-shore from the west, 19–22 mph, so it’s lumpy and tough. The forecast scores are a bit better, but only for those with big-wave experience and a death wish.

Saturday, 25 July, and Sunday, 26 July, are poor. The swell drops to 13 ft–8 ft, but it’s cross-on or cross-shore with rain squalls and choppy conditions. Not worth paddling out.

Monday, 27 July, is a bit better. The swell is 8 ft–12 ft from the west, with a 10-second period, and the wind swings back to cross-off from the NNW at 12 mph. The energy is 1381–3016, and the surf is clean. Still marginal for quality, but it’s cleaner.

Now, here’s the standout. Tuesday, 28 July, is the pick of the whole forecast. Tuesday morning sees 15 ft from the WSW, with a 12-second period, and a clean offshore wind from the NNE at 12 mph. The energy is 5670. That’s exceptional for experienced surfers. But Tuesday afternoon is the absolute gem: 16 ft from the SW, 14-second period, and glassy conditions with the wind going dead calm at 3 mph out of the NNE. The energy is 9661. It’s a rare, pristine window at Johanna for experts only. If you’re good enough, that’s your session.

The rest of the week after that is rough. Wednesday, 29 July, gets hammered by onshore wind and a 20 ft swell. Thursday, 30 July, is marginal at best, with 12 ft–13 ft and cross-shore wind. Friday, 31 July, is poor again.

Into the first week of August, Saturday, 01 August, shows some clean cross-off wind from the NW with 10 ft swell from the SSW, periods of 15–16 seconds, and energy at 5356. It’s marginal but clean. Sunday, 02 August, and Monday, 03 August, are onshore and poor. Tuesday, 04 August, starts to wind down, with 3 ft–4 ft from the WSW and long periods of 16–18 seconds, but the wind is onshore, keeping it small and messy. Wednesday, 05 August, sees a small 5 ft–5 ft groundswell from the WSW, with long periods of 15–19 seconds, and light cross-on wind. The energy is 2213–2472, but it’s marginal and only really for the patient.

So, the only true standout is Tuesday, 28 July, especially the afternoon glass-off. Everything else is either too big, too windy, or too small. Keep your eyes on that Tuesday.

Rusty.

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