Ketewel Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s talk about what’s on the menu for the next couple of weeks.

To be straight with you, the opening stretch looks pretty grim. We’ve got a solid run of days with poor surf conditions and only marginal forecasts through the end of July and into early August. The wind is stuck in a cross-onshore pattern, mainly from the southeast at 6 to 12 mph, which is chopping up the surface and making it a real struggle. There’s a decent amount of energy in the water, with combined swell energy readings between 1170 and 2026 (moderate to strong), but the conditions just aren’t delivering. The first real chance of anything even slightly worthwhile doesn’t pop up until Monday the 10th of August, so that’s a solid week of waiting.

The standout window in this whole outlook is Monday the 10th of August at Ketewel. We’ve got a 8ft SSW swell rolling in with a 15-second period, and combined energy sitting at 2325 to 2203 – that’s strong wave energy. The wind is a light breeze from the southeast at 9 mph, keeping things only gently cross-onshore with small wind ripples. It’s still not glassy, but it’s the cleanest we’ll see across the whole period. The catch is that it’s an inconsistent reef break and an advanced-only wave. With that size, it’s pushing into expert territory. You’ll need to know what you’re doing, and crowds are possible. The swell direction is from the SSW, which isn’t the optimum S direction for the break, but the long period groundswell should offer some decent shape on the reef.

After that, the end of the second week has a big pulse of energy. Thursday the 14th of August shows a 10ft SSW swell with a 17-second period and combined energy roaring up to 5859 – that’s very strong wave energy. Again, the wind is a gentle cross-onshore breeze at 9 mph from the southeast, so it’s still a little textured but not a total write-off. This is expert-only territory at that size, and the long period means the sets will be powerful with longer gaps. It’s a promising sign for the very end of the forecast, but it’s a long way out, so take it with a grain of salt.

Overall, it’s a slow start with a glimmer of hope in the second week. Stay patient, and if you’re a solid surfer, mark that Monday the 10th of August down as your best bet. This stretch looks more interesting for paddle surfing than kite surfing, despite the onshore winds, because the wave energy is too high for kiting to be fun.

Rusty.

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