Junkyards Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve been staring at the charts for our local reef, Junkyards. It’s a bit of a slow start, but the second half of the run gets properly wild. We’ve got a lean spell for the first few days, then a massive pulse of energy that’s going to turn things on, though it’s going to be a game of patience—and a game for the experienced crew only.

The water’s sitting at 81°, which is a notch colder than we’d usually expect for this time of year, so you might want a slightly thicker spring suit.

We kick off the weekend with nothing worth paddling for. Saturday and Sunday (4th and 5th July) are flat and messy, with weak swell around 1ft to 1.3ft, short period, and cross-onshore winds just making it choppy. The combined energy is tiny (13–21), so don’t even bother. That carries through Monday (6th July) morning—still small and cross-onshore, but then Monday afternoon we see a little spike in period (16 seconds) and energy (134), but it’s still only 1.6ft, so it’s not doing much.

Then comes Tuesday morning (7th July). That’s our first real little window. The wind drops to glassy, dead calm, and we get a clean 3ft swell from the southeast with a nice 13-second period. The combined energy jumps to 408 (moderate), and the report says “expect good surf conditions.” It’s small, but it’s clean, and for a couple of hours you could get a few fun ones. The afternoon fades to a tiny 1ft, so don’t sleep in.

Now, the real story starts Wednesday (8th July) morning. The swell jumps to 8.2ft from the southeast, with a long 19-second period, and the energy is massive (4975). The wind is cross-offshore from the north-northeast, so it’s clean. That’s a big, powerful reef swell, but 8.2ft is edging into the “experts only” zone. The period is long, so expect long lulls between sets, but the waves that come through will be meaty. By Wednesday afternoon it’s 9.8ft, and the energy is pushing 5995. Still clean, still cross-off. This is a serious step up.

Thursday (9th July) is where it gets proper. Morning is 14.8ft from the southeast, 18-second period, cross-offshore wind, and the energy is 11553. By Thursday afternoon, the wind swings fully offshore from the northeast, 18.6 mph, and we’re looking at 16.4ft of southeast groundswell, with a 18-second period. The energy is 14346. This is a heavy, powerful reef, and it’s going to be working. The call says “marginal surf forecast or questionable tide conditions,” but the wind is fresh offshore and clean. Only the experts will be out there, and it’s going to be a battle.

Friday (10th July) is the peak of the madness. Morning brings 23ft from the south-southeast, 18-second period, with a strong offshore breeze from the east-northeast at 24.9 mph. The combined energy is a staggering 31771. The notes say the swell is predicted to be too big for this break—so it’s genuinely massive, maybe even unsurfable for most. The afternoon holds at 24.6ft with 17-second period and 32793 energy. If you’re a big-wave charger, this is your window, but for the average surfer, it’s a day to watch from the cliff.

Saturday (11th July) still has huge swell, 21.3ft in the morning from the south, 16-second period, and 33585 energy. The wind is cross-offshore, but it’s strong. By afternoon it drops to 14.8ft, period shortens to 12 seconds, and energy is 9198—still big, but starting to ease. The rest of the outlook (12th to 19th July) slowly drops from 9.8ft down to 3.3ft, with clean conditions and mostly cross-offshore winds, but the energy fades from 2677 to just 147. The last few days (18th and 19th) are small and clean, but the energy is weak, and the report calls them “poor surf conditions.”

So, the standout here is Thursday morning (9th July) through to Saturday morning (11th July). That’s the big, powerful, long-period groundswell hitting Junkyards. It’s a reef, so it’ll handle the direction (south-southeast to south) perfectly, and the offshore and cross-offshore winds will keep it clean. But this is not for the faint-hearted. The best single session might be Thursday afternoon (9th July)—16.4ft, 18-second period, 14346 energy, and fresh offshore wind. That’s a proper, world-class reef wave, but you’ll need to be a solid expert.

If you’re a beginner, there’s nothing in this 16-day window that

Read more