Junkyards Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s get into it for Junkyards.

First up, the water is sitting at 81.7°F, which is actually a bit colder than normal for this time of year – about 2.7°F cooler, so it’s noticeable, but not a total shock.

Honestly, the outlook is a tough one. We’re looking at a long, dry spell with barely a ripple for the first week and a half. Sunday the 19th morning has a tiny 2.6ft SW swell, and the wind is glassy from the WNW, giving it a clean look, but the energy is weak (93). It’s surfable, but it’s very ordinary. After that, it’s a whole lot of nothing. The wind goes onshore, the swell drops, and we get days of poor surf conditions with combined energy readings dropping into the teens and single digits. There’s a gap from Monday the 20th all the way through to Saturday the 26th where there’s simply nothing worth paddling out for.

The first real glimmer of hope shows up on Monday the 27th. The morning brings a 2.6ft SSE groundswell from the south-southeast with a period of 12 seconds. That longer period brings some real energy (189), and it’s clean with a gentle offshore breeze from the NE. This is a proper groundswell, so the waves will have shape and power, but the long period can make it break a bit straight on a beach setup, so watch for that. The afternoon bumps up to 3.6ft from the SE at 14 seconds, and the energy jumps to 471. The wind goes cross-offshore, but it’s still clean. This is the standout window.

Tuesday the 28th morning is the biggest of the run. We get a 5.6ft SE swell with a 14-second period, and the combined energy is a solid 1066. That’s strong wave energy. The wind is cross-offshore from the N at 15 mph. This is getting into expert territory – over 5ft it’s a bit much for beginners, and at 5.6ft it’s a proper wave. The afternoon sees the swell drop to 4.9ft with a fresh cross-shore wind making it lumpy, so the morning is the call.

Everything after that falls apart. The wind swings onshore, the swell tanks, and we’re back to poor conditions. The last week of July and into August is a write-off with strong, messy winds, and even a storm force event on the 3rd of August. That’s not surf, that’s a washing machine.

For a full breakdown: Junkyards is a reef break, exposed to the SW swell, but the optimum swell direction is SW, which matches the early tiny swell. It’s fairly consistent in terms of breaking, but the crowds can be a problem sometimes. The best bet is Monday the 27th morning for a clean, proper groundswell, or Tuesday the 28th morning for the biggest, most powerful waves of the period. The rest is a waiting game.

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