Junkyards Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This is Rusty.

First up, we gotta be straight with you: this is not a classic run of surf for Junkyards. We’ve got a massive pulse of swell coming through, but it’s way too big and the wind is going to be howling – we’re talking a full on severe gale at times. This is not a time for a paddle out unless you’re absolutely next level, and even then, the wind is going to make it a battle. The setup here, with that kind of wind and size on a reef, looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

We kick off on Friday the 10th of July. The swell is huge – around 28 ft from the SE, but the wind is a near gale from the east at 31 mph, turning into a cross-off later. The combined wave energy is absolutely pumping at 67231, but it’s frankly dangerous. Same story through Saturday the 11th: 31 ft swell from the SSE, a severe gale at 47 mph and energy at 54104. It’s not surfable for a paddle surfer.

The surf starts to drop on Sunday the 12th, but the conditions are still rough with a fresh cross-shore breeze and lumpy chop. That 11 ft swell is still too much for most, and the quality is marginal. By Monday the 13th and Tuesday the 14th, the swell has backed right off, but it’s weak and messy with a cross-chop. Energy is down to between 300 and 879.

We hit a real flat spell from the middle of the week. Wednesday the 15th and Thursday the 16th of July have tiny, ordinary waves – 2 ft to 3 ft – but at least the wind goes glassy and light. It’s clean but barely a ripple. That quiet stretch goes on through the weekend and into the following week, with the swell staying small and the energy weak, below 200 most days. There will be a gap of about 8 days where there’s nothing worth getting out of bed for.

Then, on Friday the 24th of July, we finally see a glimmer. This is the standout of the whole outlook. The swell comes up to a clean 4 ft from the south, with a period bumping up to 11 seconds. The combined energy is 397 – moderate – but the wind is light and cross-off, making for clean conditions. This is a decent end-of-run window for an intermediate surfer. It’s not a classic, but after all that nothing, it’s the best on offer. Keep in mind that 11-second swell from the south can be a little straight at a beach break, but Junkyards is a reef and should handle it better. Crowds are possible here on a day like that.

Overall, we’ve got a very heavy, unsurfable start, a long flat middle, and a brief, promising window right on the 24th.

Rusty.

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