Manly Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. This is Rusty, and I’m looking at Manly for the next couple of weeks.

Right now, we’re in a pretty flat spell. For the first few days, through Saturday the 11th and into the start of the week, there’s really nothing worth paddling out for. The swell is tiny, mostly under 3 feet, and the wind isn’t playing ball either. We’ve got a stretch of poor conditions until the 15th, so that’s a solid four-day gap with no real surf on offer at Manly.

Then, things start to change on Wednesday morning, July 15th. We get a pulse of 10ft swell from the south, with a fresh offshore wind. That’s a big jump in size, and even though the period is short at 10 seconds, the wave energy is strong, reading 1539. This is proper, powerful stuff, but the quality is described as marginal. The size is over 8ft, so this is really only for experienced surfers – it’s not a beginner’s day. The wind is offshore and clean, so the face will be tidy, but be wary of that raw energy.

The morning of Thursday the 16th still has some size, around 6ft from the south, with a moderate offshore breeze. The energy has dropped to 396, so it’s less intense, but still surfable. The period is short, though, at 8 seconds, so the waves will be a bit crumbly and lack real punch.

After that, it drops right back off into Friday and Saturday the 18th, with waves around 3ft. The wind looks light and clean, but the energy is low. It’s ordinary.

The next real standout shows up on Tuesday afternoon, July 21st. We get around 5ft from the east, period of 10 seconds, with a gentle breeze that’s cross-offshore. The energy is moderate at 421, and the forecast says “expect good surf conditions.” This is the pick of the period for most surfers. The wind is light enough to keep it clean, and the size is manageable for intermediate crew. It’s not a monster, but it’s fun.

Also worth a look is Wednesday morning, July 22nd. We see about 5ft from the south, period of 10 seconds, with a light breeze and cross-offshore wind. The energy is 670, so there’s some push behind it. This one also says “expect good surf conditions.” It’s clean and has a bit more power than the Tuesday session, so if you want a little more grunt, hit the water early on Wednesday.

The rest of the week into the 24th fades back to small, ordinary stuff, with swell around 2ft and clean conditions, but not much punch.

Overall, the water temp is about average for this time of year. No major anomaly to report, so just your standard winter wetsuit situation. With the pulse on the 15th being over 8ft, that’s only for the hardcore lot. The pick of the fortnight is Tuesday the 21st afternoon and Wednesday the 22nd morning – those are the sessions to aim for over the next 16 days.

Rusty.

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