Long Strand-Castlefreke Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at the next couple of weeks.

First off, I gotta be straight with you – the next two weeks are looking pretty flat and quiet. We’ve got a long stretch of tiny surf and poor conditions starting from Friday, July 24, all the way through the first week of August. The swell energy is basically non-existent, with combined energy readings sitting between 4 and 31 (weak), and the swell heights are mostly 0.3 ft to 1 ft, with a few tiny 2 ft pulses. The wind is all over the place, mostly cross-onshore or onshore, and the morning westerly glass-offs are rare. The only exception is Friday, July 31 morning, with a clean cross-off breeze from the ENE, but the wave height is only 0.3 ft with a 12-second period from the south – not enough to ride. The water temperature is a notable 66°F, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year (anomaly of 4°F), so the water feels like a bath, but the swell just isn’t there.

Then, on Saturday, August 1, we get a small pulse: 1 ft from the SW, period of 9 seconds, combined energy up to 31. The wind is light and glassy in the afternoon from the ESE – that’s clean. But it’s still tiny. Sunday, August 2 morning looks a bit better with a clean cross-off from the north, 2 ft from the south, period of 7 seconds, energy 31 – still weak, but paddleable for a longboard if you’re keen.

The real standout though, and I mean the only one worth a proper look, is the morning of Friday, August 7. We’ve got a 7 ft swell from the south, period of 7 seconds, and the combined energy jumps to 716 (moderate to strong). The wind is glassy – calm from the SSW, 0 mph. That’s a big clean swell. But here’s the catch: at 7 ft, this is getting too big for beginners, and with a short period of 7 seconds, the waves will be lumpy and close together. This break is exposed to the SW, so the direction is just about right. The following morning, Saturday, August 8, early glass-off again with a 5 ft SSW swell, period of 8 seconds, energy 249 – still solid, clean, and good for experienced surfers. But the afternoon on both days gets messy with stronger cross-onshore wind.

So, if you’re an advanced surfer, the morning of Friday, August 7 is the best bet – glassy, solid 7 ft, and that energy is real. Saturday morning August 8 is the next best, but a bit smaller. The rest of the run is flat or close to it. For beginners, there’s nothing in the window that’s both small enough and clean enough until maybe the 7th, but 7 ft is too much. Keep an eye on the forecasts, but right now, it’s a wait-and-watch situation.

Rusty.

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