Ketewel Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the coming weeks.

Honestly, I’m looking at a pretty grim stretch for Ketewel. The whole 16-day window is a bit of a wasteland for decent waves. Right now, and for the next few days, it’s just not happening. The wind is stubbornly cross-on from the southeast, chopping up everything. The water temp is about average for the time of year, so no surprises there.

From Friday the 17th through Sunday the 19th, we’ve got some SSW swell coming in around 4ft to 4ft, with a period around 13 to 16 seconds – that’s a nice long groundswell period. But with a moderate cross-onshore breeze, it’s just messy and poor, with combined wave energy sitting around 720 to 1006 (moderate). There's nothing to get excited about.

Into Monday the 20th, the swell pushes up to 6ft to 7ft from the SSW, with a period of 16 to 17 seconds. The energy jumps to 2223 (strong), but the wind is still cross-on, and the conditions are marked as “marginal” at best. It’s still a miss for me.

The rest of the week through to the 25th stays in the same vein. Swell sizes vary from 3ft to 7ft, but the wind refuses to cooperate. On the 24th, we see a short-period SSE swell of 5ft at 8 seconds – that’s a weak, choppy windswell, and it’s poor.

The weekend of the 26th and 27th brings some bigger SE swell, up to 7ft, but again with a short period of 8 seconds and strong cross-on winds. The wave energy is moderate to strong (563 to 1385), but the quality is just not there for a paddle. Honestly, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

The only glimmer comes at the very end. On Friday the 31st of July, we’ve got a SSW swell of 4ft to 4ft, but the period hits 18 to 22 seconds – that’s very long period groundswell. The energy is 2155 to 2666 (strong to very strong). The wind is still cross-on, so it’s only “marginal,” but that long period might be setting up a few deep lines if the tide lines up. It’s not a standout, but it’s the best of a bad bunch. Heading into Saturday the 1st of August, the swell is 6ft at 20 seconds, but the wind is the same old story.

So, truly, there’s no standout day here. The whole period is a write-off for quality surf. For an inconsistent reef like Ketewel, a blank run like this is more normal for the area. Keep an eye on the forecasts, because it tends not to stay poor forever.

Rusty.

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