Middles/Generals Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Look, I've been staring at the charts for Middles/Generals and I gotta be straight with you – it's a tough outlook. The next couple of weeks are looking pretty average, with a lot of wind and messy conditions making it hard to find a proper window. We've got a long stretch of poor surf ahead, but there are a couple of flickers of hope if you're patient.

The water temp is sitting at 80°, which is pretty much spot on for this time of year, so at least you won't be freezing your nuts off.

We start off on Tuesday, 21 July with a small 3ft southerly swell at 14 seconds, but it's got a cross-shore breeze of 12-16 mph from the ENE, lumping it all up. The combined energy is moderate at 465, but the report says "poor surf conditions" – not worth paddling out for. This theme continues right through to Friday, 24 July, with the wind actually picking up to 22-25 mph from the ENE, the swell is a mix of weak and short period stuff, and the energy is all over the place. It's just a mess.

Friday, 24 July sees a jump in swell height to 7ft, but it's short-period windswell at 7 seconds from the ENE, and the wind is a strong 25 mph cross-shore (energy at 1009). That's not surf, that's a washing machine. Honestly, for a few days there, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

Saturday, 25 July morning is much the same – 7ft, ENE windswell, 8 seconds, wind still 22 mph cross-shore, energy at 1230. It's a strong breeze and lumpy. The afternoon shows a drop in swell to 3ft and a shift to a longer period SSW groundswell at 18 seconds, but it's still cross-shore and lumpy, scoring only a 1 out of 10. The long period from the SSW is a tease, but that wind is killing it.

Sunday, 26 July offers a slightly better chance. The swell is 4ft in the morning, building to 5ft in the afternoon, from the east at 16 seconds. That's a decent long period groundswell, and the energy is high (1705-1887). The wind is still cross-shore from the NE at 19 mph, so it's not clean, but it's a "marginal" call. This is the best we've seen so far, but it's still not great. It's exposed to ESE which isn't perfectly aligned with the east swell, so it might be a bit wonky.

The pattern of marginal surf continues into the next week. Monday, 27 July has 5ft east swell at 14 seconds, but same cross-shore wind. Tuesday, 28 July sees 6ft east swell at 13 seconds, winds easing a bit to 16 mph from the NE, but still cross-shore, scoring a 2 out of 10. It's a moderate breeze, but you know, it's a step in the right direction. Wednesday, 29 July has 7ft east-northeast swell at 12 seconds, again moderate cross-shore.

Now, Thursday, 30 July is the standout. The wind drops to 6 mph from the NE in the morning, which is a light breeze, and the swell is 6ft at 10 seconds from the ENE. The energy is moderate at 770. It's still a cross-shore wind, but it's light, meaning the surface will be way cleaner. This is the best window in the whole 16 days. The morning looks the better of the two, with only "small crossing wind ripples" rather than a full chop. The break is fairly consistent, but watch out for the crowds – it says "often" busy here, so get down early.

After that, the wheels fall off again. Friday, 31 July through to the end of the period (5 August) is a mix of poor surf and marginal conditions. The wind picks up, the swell gets chopped up, and the scores are all low. There's a bit of swell around 5ft to 7ft from the east-northeast with periods of 8 to 12 seconds, but the wind is constantly cross-shore or cross-onshore, making it lumpy and messy. Energy values are moderate to high, but it's all wind-affected slop.

So, to wrap it up: the best on offer is Thursday, 30 July morning at Middles/Generals. It's not a classic, but with light winds and a 6ft east-northeast swell, it'll be the most user-friendly of the lot. The rest of the fortnight is a real grind. Be patient.

Rusty.

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