Menakoz Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here, and I’ve got your local outlook for the Menakoz reef. There’s a long stretch of flatness ahead, so don’t get your hopes up too early. The first 12 days are pretty grim, with only a few windows of barely surfable slop, but things start to look promising at the very end of the run.

We kick off on Sunday, the 19th of July, with a tiny 1 foot NW swell and glassy conditions, but the score’s a zero – it’s just too small to bother with. Monday and Tuesday the 20th and 21st see a bit more size, around 4 feet to 5 feet from the north, but the period is a short 6 to 7 seconds, and the wind is cross-onshore, making it choppy and messy. Not worth paddling out.

Wednesday the 22nd morning offers a tiny sliver of hope: 3 feet from the north with glassy winds, but the combined energy is weak (83) and the period is only 6 seconds, so it’s very ordinary. That’s the best you’ll get for a while. From there, it’s a wasteland of tiny, wind-battered dribble until the 27th of July.

Monday the 27th morning sees a glassy 2 feet NNW swell with a period of 11 seconds and combined energy of 101 – surfable but still very ordinary. Tuesday the 28th morning is similar: 3 feet, glassy, but the period drops to 10 seconds. Nothing to write home about.

Then we hit the real standout. Saturday the 1st of August morning at Menakoz is the highlight of the whole 16-day outlook. Swell builds to 5 feet from the NW, with a period of 10 seconds and combined energy of 480 – that’s solid, moderate energy. The winds are glassy, dead calm, so the reef will be clean and lined up. This is the one to aim for. The swell direction is a perfect match for the optimum NNW, and the reef setup will handle the long-period groundswell beautifully. Expect good, powerful waves, but at 5 feet, it’s getting into the range where beginners might find it challenging – more suited to intermediate and expert surfers. The reef is known for crowds often, so bring your patience.

Sunday the 2nd of August morning is a step down: 5 feet NW swell with a cross-shore wind, marginal conditions. Monday the 3rd of August morning has a clean cross-offshore wind from the SE, with 4 feet NW swell and a period of 9 seconds – surfable but not a standout.

Water temperature here is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual.

So, to sum it up: the first week and a half is a write-off, with only a few glassy moments of very small, weak swell. Don’t waste your time until the 1st of August. That Saturday morning is your best bet – clean, solid, and lined up. Get on it.

Rusty.

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