Melvich Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what the north coast of Scotland’s got lined up for us.

The opening of the forecast period is a bit of a mixed bag. We’ve got surfable waves right from Monday, but honestly, conditions are rough. Melvich is the only break on the menu, and it’s a river mouth setup that’s exposed to the north-west. The water temp is sitting at 54°, which is dead average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

Monday morning the 6th of July starts off with a 3ft west swell, but the cross-off wind from the west is so light you barely feel it. The combined swell energy is weak at 172. It’s surfable, but it’s ordinary. That afternoon gets ugly fast: a 5ft west swell is met with a fresh 22 mph wind from the WSW, making a mess of things. The energy jumps to 311, but with that wind, it’s poor.

Tuesday the 7th of July morning is where it gets interesting. A glassy, offshore wind from the ENE meets a 4ft west swell with a 9-second period. The water is glassy, and the combined energy is a moderate 297. This is the standout of the first few days – clean waves, good shape, and that river mouth should be handling the swell nicely. The afternoon fades into a cross-shore wind chop, but still rideable.

Wednesday the 8th of July morning holds a clean 4ft west swell with a gentle cross-off breeze. Energy is 297 again. It’s a solid session. The afternoon though, the wind picks up and the swell jumps to 6ft but with a short 6-second period, making it choppy and marginal.

Thursday the 9th of July morning offers a similar 4ft west swell with clean conditions. A good option. The afternoon brings a 5ft west swell but with a cross-on wind that messes with the shape.

From Friday the 10th of July all the way through to Sunday the 19th of July, it’s a real struggle. Several days with no decent recommendations. The swell stays small, often under 3ft, and the wind is mostly cross-on or onshore. The energy levels dip into double digits and even single digits for days. A blank run like this is pretty normal for the area when the wind doesn’t cooperate.

Then we jump into the final week. Monday the 20th of July sees a 6ft west swell show up, but it’s paired with a fresh 19 mph cross-on wind. The energy is 343, but the waves are lumpy and messy. The real kicker comes Monday afternoon and into Tuesday the 21st of July: a big 8ft west swell rolling in, with a long period of 10-11 seconds. The combined energy is massive – 1334 and then 1800. That’s strong wave energy, and it’s pumping. But the wind is howling 16-22 mph from the NW, cross-onshore and cross-shore, making it a lumpy, choppy mess. For paddle surfers, this is going to be a tough, expert-only situation. The wind and size will push it into a more interesting zone for kite surfing than paddling. The period is long enough (11 seconds) that it’s a proper groundswell, but a point break or reef would handle it better than a beach or river mouth in these windy conditions.

In short: the best on offer is Tuesday morning the 7th of July at Melvich with that clean, glassy, 4ft west swell. That’s about as good as it gets in this run. The rest is either too small, too windy, or too ugly.

Rusty.

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