Little Joes/Between the Jetties Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s get straight into it for the next couple of weeks at Little Joes/Between the Jetties. I gotta tell you, this stretch of forecasts is a real bugger – it’s a long, flat, and grovelly run with almost nothing to recommend. The pattern is persistent: consistent NW to NNW wind, almost always cross or cross-onshore, and the wave heights are just not doing us any favours. Water temp is sitting at 51°F, which is a full 5°F colder than it should be for this time of year – that’s a very unusual chill, so don’t forget the thickest suit you own.

There is no standout session on the cards at all. Every single time slot from July 4th through to July 19th is rated “poor surf conditions” with scores of 0 out of 10. Because of that, there’s no first “good” recommendation to kick off with – the whole 16-day window is a gap with nothing in the “good” category. The only break in the guidance is Little Joes, a beach/jetty setup that’s fairly consistent but exposed to the west. But even with that consistency, the wind is never offshore, and the combined swell energy, while often moderate (between 300 and 900 range), is paired with horrible conditions. For example, on Saturday July 4th afternoon you’ve got a 5ft NW swell, period a short 6 seconds, energy at 421 – but cross wind at 25 mph makes it a mess. Later in the week, on Monday July 6th morning, you get 5ft NW at 8 seconds, energy 703 – but still cross-onshore and choppy. The biggest heights show up around Friday July 17th afternoon, with a 6ft NW swell at 8 seconds, energy 948 – but again, cross-onshore wind and lumpy.

Because the swell heights hover between 2ft and 6ft, never exceeding 8ft, but the periods are often short (under 8 seconds) or moderate (8-11 seconds). On the rare occasion you see a long period – like Tuesday July 7th afternoon with 2ft from SW at 20 seconds (energy 719) – the wind is cross-onshore, so even those long-period groundswell waves would be messy. Long period like that is usually better at points or reefs, but even then the swell is tiny.

Honestly, for the whole 16 days, there is not a single window with clean conditions. Even the best looking swell size (6ft) comes with strong cross winds or cross-onshore wind. For a beach/jetty spot, this kind of setup is more interesting for kite surfers than paddle surfers – strong cross-shore winds and messy cross-chop means you’d be fighting just to get a halfway decent wave.

Bottom line: this is a blank run, and that’s not unusual for the area given the persistent wind pattern. Forecasts can change, but for now, leave the boards at home.

Rusty.

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