Mala wharf Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – we’ve got a long stretch ahead, but it’s not exactly firing. The first few days are small, and the whole 16-day window is a run of weak, marginal waves. There’s no proper stand-out, no big swell to get excited about, just a lot of “ordinary” conditions. The water’s sitting at 80°F with a 1°F anomaly – pretty much average for this time of year, no dramas there.

Let’s start with Tuesday 21 July at Mala wharf (reef). Swell is a tiny 2 ft out of the south, with a long period of 14 seconds – that’s proper groundswell, but there’s hardly any energy behind it (140). The morning sees a light offshore breeze from the ENE at 6 mph, so it’s clean, but the waves are just too small to get a proper ride. The afternoon stays offshore, wind picking up to 9 mph, but still 2 ft and ordinary. This is a consistent spot, but today it’s barely worth paddling out.

Wednesday 22 July is more of the same. Swell drops to 1 ft, but the period jumps to 24 seconds – that’s a very long period groundswell. For a reef break that’s a good thing, but with wave energy still weak (165) you’ll be sitting out there waiting. Wind stays offshore from the NE all day, 9–12 mph, so it’s clean, but the waves are just not there.

Thursday 23 July through to Sunday 26 July – honestly, it’s a blur of 1 ft to 2 ft swell, mostly from the SSW or SW, with periods dropping from 20 seconds down to 16 seconds. Offshore winds keep things clean, but the combined energy stays in the low to mid 100–200 range, which is weak to moderate at best. The morning of Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th has cross-offshore winds, so it’s a bit messier. Nothing to write home about.

Monday 27 July and Tuesday 28 July – the swell drops further to 1 ft, periods fall to 14–15 seconds, and energy numbers slip into double digits (87, 84, 61, 60). That’s weak wave energy. Offshore winds are light, but you’re basically floating around. Not worth rushing.

Wednesday 29 July to Friday 31 July – still 1 ft, period shortening to 10–14 seconds, energy mostly in the 70–150 range. Friday 31 July is a write-off: poor surf conditions with cross-offshore wind and only 36 energy in the morning. The afternoon picks up a bit to 109, but still poor.

Saturday 1 August sees a tiny bump – 2 ft from the west, period 12 seconds, and 68 energy in the morning. Afternoon goes back to 1 ft from the SW with 14 seconds and 135 energy, offshore wind. Still ordinary.

Sunday 2 August to Tuesday 4 August – it’s all 1.0 ft to 1 ft, short period swells (12–13 seconds), energy in the 50–85 range. Weak. The mornings of the 2nd and 5th are flagged as poor surf conditions, and the rest are just “surfable but very ordinary.”

Wednesday 5 August – the last day in the window. 1.0 ft from the SW with 15 seconds, 46–61 energy, offshore wind, but the morning is poor. Afternoon is ordinary again.

So what’s the best on offer? Honestly, the standout is the Wednesday 22 July afternoon – that 1 ft with 23-second period groundswell, clean with moderate offshore NE wind at 12 mph, and 187 energy. It’s still tiny, but for a reef break like Mala wharf, that long period might give you a few clean, lined-up waves if you’re patient. The other pick is Saturday 25 July afternoon – 2 ft from the SSW, 18 seconds, 229 energy, offshore at 12 mph. That’s the highest energy in the whole window, and the swell direction is close to the optimum WSW. It’s still small, but it’s the most energy you’ll see.

If you’re a beginner, swell never goes over 2 ft, so that’s safe, but the waves are so small it’s hardly a learning day. For experts, it’s too small to be interesting. The setup at Mala wharf is a reef, so with these long-period swells, it might hold a bit better than a beach break, but don’t expect any barrels.

This is a consistent spot, so it’s a bit of a bummer to see a whole 16 days of nothing special. It won’t stay poor forever – forecasts can change, but right now, pack a longboard or a foamie, and bring a lot of patience.

Rusty.

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