Mainside Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, I’m Rusty. Let’s talk about what’s lining up at Mainside (reef).

Right off the bat, I’ll be straight with you—this 16-day outlook is a rough one. We’ve got a long stretch of nothing happening, and what little shows up down the track is barely worth a mention. The water temperature is sitting around 84° at the start, which is pretty much normal for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

The first few days are a total write-off. Friday the 10th through to the morning of Sunday the 12th, we’ve got tropical thunderstorms and gale-force winds ripping across the water. East and southeast winds between 31 mph and 50 mph, all cross-offshore, but the energy is zero—combined swell energy of 0. It’s just ugly out there.

Sunday the 12th morning finally shows a pulse of swell: 3 ft from the west, period 12 seconds, with a combined energy of 232. That’s moderate energy. But the wind is still a solid 22 mph from the SSE, cross-offshore, and the surf quality is rated poor. The afternoon picks up a bit to 4 ft from the west, same period, energy up to 350, but again, the wind is chewing it up. Not worth paddling out.

Monday the 13th drops right back off. Morning has 2 ft from the west, period 9 seconds, energy down to 38. Afternoon is similar, 2 ft, 10-second period, energy 54. Wind is a lighter 16 mph from the SSE, but still cross-offshore, and the conditions are poor. Tuesday the 14th is even weaker—1 ft and 0.7 ft, energy in the single digits. Honestly, it’s flat.

Wednesday the 15th afternoon has a moment of glassy water with the wind dropping to 3 mph and calm, but there’s no swell at all. Combined energy of 0. It’s a millpond.

Thursday the 16th and Friday the 17th show tiny 0.7 ft waves from the east, period 10 seconds, energy under 10. The wind on Friday afternoon turns offshore from the ESE at 12 mph, giving us a clean surface, but there’s just no power. You’d be scratching for a ride.

Then we hit another gap. Saturday the 18th through to Monday the 20th—gale-force winds return, and the swell is either zero or barely a ripple. No surf.

Finally, Tuesday the 21st of July is the only real standout in this whole outlook. The morning shows 5 ft from the ENE, period 7 seconds, combined energy of 225. That’s moderate energy. The afternoon picks up to 6 ft from the same direction, period still 7 seconds, energy 240. The wind is from the east at 16 mph, cross-offshore, so the surface will be clean. But look—6 ft is a bit much for beginners, and the short period (7 seconds) means it’s a windswell, not a groundswell. It’ll be a bit lumpy and won’t have that long, clean wall. Still, it’s the best we’ve got in this 16-day window. The break is consistent, so it’s not a total gamble, but crowds are possible—it can get busy when the rare swell shows.

After Tuesday the 21st, it drops off again. Wednesday the 22nd morning has 2 ft from the east, period 8 seconds, energy 106, but the wind is cross-offshore and the surf is poor. The rest of the week is flat to tiny, with energy dropping into the teens and single digits. The 16-day period ends on Saturday the 25th with 1 ft from the ENE—nothing to get excited about.

So to wrap it up: if you’re desperate, Tuesday the 21st of July is your best bet, with some chest-high sets and clean enough conditions. But the rest of this outlook is a solid two-week stretch of poor to no surf. It’s one of those runs where the forecast has to change big time to save it. I’m Rusty, signing off.

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