Middles/Generals Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, this is Rusty, and I’m looking at the next 16 days for Middles/Generals. I gotta be straight with you – it’s a rough stretch. The wind is mostly pinned from the east-northeast, and it’s just hammering the place with cross-shore and cross-onshore junk. Most of the time, the combo of moderate to fresh breeze and that lumpy cross-chop is making a mess of things.

The surf is there, but it’s not pretty. On Monday the 20th, we’ve got a 4ft swell from the ENE with a short 8-second period, but the wind is a 15 mph cross-shore and there’s rain showers. The combined energy is only moderate (476), and the conditions are just poor. It’s a write-off for a decent paddle.

Tuesday the 21st and Wednesday the 22nd are more of the same story – wind isn’t letting up, and the swell is either short period or gets chopped up. The water temperature is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there.

The first real standout comes on Thursday the 24th of July. We’ve got a 8ft to 8ft swell from the ENE, but the period is only 7-8 seconds, so it’s a windswell. The combined energy is strong (1066-1348), but the wind is a strong breeze at 25 mph, making it messy cross-shore and cross-onshore. This is not a paddle-surfing day – this is getting into kite-surfing territory. The setup is too rough and blown out for a clean wave.

The energy picks up into the weekend. On Saturday the 26th of July, we see a 5ft swell from the east with a 16-second period. That’s a long-period groundswell, which means better shaped waves if it cleans up, but at a beach break, it might break a bit straight. The wind is still a fresh breeze at 18 mph cross-shore, so it’s lumpy. The energy is very strong (2204), but the conditions are only marginal.

The best chance for a surfable wave comes on Tuesday the 29th of July. The swell drops to 5ft from the east with a 12-second period, and the wind eases to a moderate breeze at 12 mph from the NE. The combined energy is still moderate (1012), and the conditions are only marginal, but it’s the most manageable the wind has been in a while. It’s still cross-shore, so expect a bit of a chop, but it’s the best on offer.

The end of the month and into August is a slow fade. The swell drops to 3ft or less, the wind stays onshore, and the energy gets weak. By Sunday the 3rd of August, the energy is as low as 130. It’s a long blank run for quality surf.

If you’re desperate, Tuesday the 29th of July is the pick of a bad bunch. Otherwise, the whole 16-day window is a fight against the wind. This is a stretch where you’re better off waiting for the forecast to change.

- Rusty

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