Kamakura Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. Honestly, it’s a pretty flat stretch ahead for Kamakura. The opening days of this outlook are lean, and there’s a long gap of really poor conditions before we see anything that’s even surfable. We’re looking at a solid week and a half of mostly small, weak, and messy waves before we catch a tiny glimmer of hope right at the end.

The first bit of surf worth getting out of bed for doesn’t show up until Monday afternoon, August 10th. It’s only 2 ft of swell from the S, with a 11-second period, and the combined energy is weak at 111. The wind is light cross-off from the NE, so the surface will be clean, but the waves are just small and ordinary. Not a stand-out, just something to get wet on.

Tuesday morning, August 11th, is a write-off. By Tuesday afternoon, the swell bumps up to 3 ft from the SSW, but the wind is howling onshore at 30 km/h from the SSW, making it choppy and lumpy. The energy is still weak at 171. Not worth it.

We get a few mornings with offshore wind, like Thursday August 13th with a brisk NNE breeze at 25 km/h, but the swell is only 2 ft and the energy is a paltry 64. It’s clean, but tiny. That pattern of small, clean, but anemic surf continues for days. Friday the 14th and Saturday the 15th are similar – offshore or cross-off winds, but the swell barely cracks 1 ft.

The whole second week is a desert. From Sunday August 16th to Saturday August 22nd, the swell is mostly 1 ft to 2 ft, with periods under 10 seconds. The energy readings are all in the 20s, 30s, and 40s – very weak. There’s a day of heavy rain with a near gale force offshore wind on Monday August 17th, but the swell is 0.6 ft. You’d be paddling on a lake.

The one true standout is right at the very end of the 16-day window. On Monday, August 24th, in the morning, we get glassy conditions with the wind going light variable from the NE. The swell is 2 ft from the SSW, period of 9 seconds, and the combined energy is 54. It’s still small, but “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” is the best we’ve seen all outlook. The water temperature is about average for the time of year at Kamakura.

So, if you’re desperate, that Monday August 24th morning is your only real window. It’s clean, it’s glassy, but it’s small. For a beginner, that 2 ft is fine, but don’t expect any power. For everyone else, it’s a long wait for a very small prize.

- Rusty

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