Joss Bay Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Well, I’ve had a look at the charts for Joss Bay over the next couple of weeks, and I gotta be straight with you – it’s a tough stretch. We’re looking at a long, frustrating gap before anything even remotely rideable shows up. The first recommendation doesn’t come until Friday the 10th, and even then, it’s a bit of a joke.

For the first week or so, it’s all about onshore and cross-onshore winds, mainly from the NE and ENE, making a mess of things. The swell is tiny, with periods a toddler could clap along to – 3 to 4 seconds, just no power or shape. The combined wave energy is pretty much zip, hitting single digits, so you’re battling chop for nothing. This poor spell runs right through the first few days, with no let-up. We finally see a bit of size on the Sunday the 12th, with swell building to 5 ft in the morning and 6 ft in the afternoon out of the NE, with period stretching to 6 seconds – the energy jumps to 124 and then 203, so there’s some grunt there. But the wind is howling from the NE, hitting 22-25 mph onshore, making it an absolute mess. That’s more of a kitesurfing setup than a paddling one, to be honest.

The pattern of cross-onshore winds and messy surf continues through the middle of the week. Swell stays around the 4 ft mark, but the wind just won't swing in our favour. The water temperature? Well, let’s just say it’s about what you’d expect for July – no major anomaly to report, so don’t expect a radical change.

We finally get a glimmer of hope way out on the 25th of July, a Saturday morning. The wind finally goes offshore, from the WSW at 12 mph, which is the first clean wind we’ve seen. But – and there’s always a but – the swell has completely flatlined by then. The wave height is a dash, the period is a dash, and the energy is zero. It’s glassy and clean, but there’s nothing to ride. A real teaser. For a break that’s listed as inconsistent, this run of poor conditions is a tough one, but for this area, a dry spell like this isn’t totally out of the ordinary.

So, bottom line: the whole 16-day window is a write-off for quality surf at Joss Bay. There isn’t a single standout session. If you’re desperate for a paddle on a longboard, maybe the 12th when it’s big and messy, or the 19th when there’s some size again but cross-onshore winds, but don’t expect anything clean. Keep an eye on the forecasts, because it can’t stay this poor forever.

Rusty.

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