Ketewel Surf Forecast and Surf Report

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

Honestly, the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim around here. The swell is there, but the wind just won’t play ball. It’s a classic case of plenty of energy in the water, but it's all getting ripped to shreds by a persistent cross-onshore breeze. The wait for a decent window is going to be a long one.

We’re starting with a pulse of SSW groundswell. For Wednesday the 8th, the swell is a solid 5.9 ft, with a long 15-second period, and the combined energy is strong at 1789. The water is sitting at 81.9°, which is pretty much normal for this time of year. But the real story is the wind: a steady 12.4 mph from the ESE. That’s a cross-on, and it’s making a mess of things. The reports are calling it poor and choppy, and that’s the truth for the whole day. It stays like this through the 9th and 10th, with the swell holding around 5.6-6.2 ft and the wind not letting up.

We get a slight drop in swell energy over the weekend. Saturday the 11th sees the swell drop to 4.9 ft in the morning, and by the afternoon it’s down to 3.0 ft. The wind lightens a little on Sunday the 12th, but it’s still a cross-on, leaving us with weak, wind-affected waves.

There is a brief flicker of hope on Monday the 20th. The morning shows the swell coming back up to 6.2 ft from the SSW with a 16-second period, and the wind direction actually turns to a straight onshore for a bit. This gets a marginal score, but it’s still not clean. The combined energy is back up to 2005, showing plenty of power, but the wind state is described as “unknown” which is rarely a good sign for quality. Later in the day, the wind goes cross-on again.

Standout: Honestly, there’s no true standout here. The closest we get to a session is the Ketewel (reef) on the morning of Monday, July 20th. The swell is a decent 6.2 ft from the SSW, with long-period groundswell energy. But remember, this is an advanced wave, inconsistent, and with the wind being onshore, it’s going to be a fight. The water’s warm but the quality just isn’t there. This is a spot you’d only paddle out at if you were desperate and had a lot of experience under your belt. The crowds are sometimes an issue, but honestly, with conditions like this, it might be quiet.

For the rest of the two weeks, it’s more of the same: consistent swell but consistently messy conditions. A long stretch with no real quality on offer. The blank run feels normal for this area when the trade winds lock in.

Stay salty.

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