Mainside Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alrighty, let me spin that in feet and knots for you.

Look, I’ll be straight with you – the next two weeks are a real mixed bag at Mainside. We’ve got a big chunk of flat, weak dribble to get through at the start, and then some proper energy rolls in way down the line, but it comes with a lot of wind. For the keen surfer, you’re going to be waiting a while.

The forecast kicks off on Sunday the 19th of July. That morning we see a tiny 3ft west swell rolling in, with a short 8 second period. The water is sitting at 82°, which is about 3° cooler than average for this time of year – you’ll notice it, but it won’t be a shock. The morning is glassy calm, which is beautiful, but the combined energy is weak at only 81. It’s surfable, but very ordinary. By the afternoon, a light cross-onshore breeze messes the surface up, and the swell drops to a messy 2ft. Both sessions score pretty low, honestly.

Monday the 20th and Tuesday the 21st are a write-off. We’ve got onshore winds and very weak, declining swell down to 1ft. Wednesday the 22nd and Thursday the 23rd stay small, with 1.0ft waves. Thursday morning goes glassy again, but the energy is basically nothing – around 25. It’s not worth paddling out for.

Then we hit a real dead zone. From Friday the 24th of July all the way through Sunday the 27th, we’re looking at tiny 0.7ft waves or less, with combined energy dropping to single digits. That’s an almost flat spell lasting four days. You won’t need a board.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting, but tricky. Monday the 28th of July morning kicks up to a 6ft east swell, but the period is a super short 6 seconds. That’s windswell, choppy and weak for the size. The combined energy jumps to a moderate 272, but with the poor quality, it’s still not a goer. That afternoon goes completely flat as strong winds blow through.

The next few days are hammered by gale-force winds. Tuesday the 29th and Wednesday the 30th of July are completely blown out. It’s dangerous out there, not for surfing.

The standout of the whole forecast arrives on Friday the 31st of July. We get a solid 6ft west swell early in the morning, with a long 11 second period. The combined energy hits a strong 736 – that’s proper power. This is a groundswell, bringing clean, well-shaped lines. However, the wind is a fresh cross-onshore at 16 knots, which will chop the surface up. It’s still the biggest, best-shaped swell of the two weeks, so if you’re an experienced surfer, it’s the only window to get a decent wave under your arm. The afternoon holds at 5ft, but the wind picks up to 19 knots, so the morning is your best shot here.

Into the first days of August, we have a west swell dropping from 3ft on Saturday the 1st, to a tiny 2ft on Sunday the 2nd, but the wind is howling onshore. We also see a sudden spike in period on Sunday afternoon to 16 seconds – that’s very long period groundswell – combined energy of 336. But with a strong onshore wind at 24 knots, it’s going to be a messy, lumpy, and likely closed-out shorebreak. Not good for the paddle. The setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing that day.

Monday the 3rd of August morning is flat again with gale-force wind, but the afternoon shows a 4ft east swell with a very long 16 second period and massive 752 combined energy. Unfortunately, the wind jumps to severe gale force – 41 knots onshore. That is a total no-go zone. It’s powerful out there, but totally unsurfable.

So, to wrap it up: the first week is a flat, weak bust. The only real window of clean, rideable swell is the morning of Friday the 31st of July, and even that has lumpy onshore wind. Surf-wise, it’s grim for Mainside right now, but forecasts can change.

Rusty

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