Morro Rock Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, it's Rusty. Look, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it – the next couple of weeks are looking pretty grim for the Central Coast. We're staring down the barrel of a long stretch of onshore wind and poor surf quality. The first real glimmer of hope doesn't show up until the very end of the forecast, so you might want to keep your gear in the bag for a while.

The trouble starts right away. Friday morning, July 17th, kicks off with a weak, choppy wind swell slamming into the coast. The water is sitting at 59°, which is about average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there. It's a 6 ft NW swell, but it's got an 8-second period (short, crumbly stuff) and a cross-onshore wind that's messing it up. The combined energy is moderate at 991, but the conditions are just marginal at best. That afternoon is even worse with a 5 ft WNW swell and direct onshore wind – a total write-off.

Saturday, July 18th, drops right off. We're looking at a tiny 3 ft swell, but the period is a massive 18 seconds, which is a long-period groundswell. The combined energy is moderate (743), but it's coming from the SW and the wind is onshore. That long-period energy is wasted on a beach break like this, it'll just break too straight. Sunday is more of the same – 3 ft to 3 ft, onshore wind, and a check in the "marginal" column.

Then we hit a real dead zone. From Monday, July 20th, through to Thursday, July 23rd, it's just flat and poor. There's barely any energy – the combined energy values are in the double digits or triple digits for weak, short-period stuff. The wind is either onshore or cross-shore, with no decent swell to speak of. It's a total blank run.

Friday, July 24th, teases us with a 3 ft SW swell with a 24-second period – that's about as long as it gets. The combined energy is moderate (774), and the wind is light onshore. It's a classic case of "it's there but it's not clean." It will be hard to get a good ride out of it.

The next week, from July 25th to July 31st, is a mix of small, short-period wind swell and onshore breeze. The combined energy figures are all over the place, from 97 up to 394, but the wind is almost always onshore. The only time it gets interesting is on Thursday, July 30th, with a 7 ft WNW swell, but the period is only 8 seconds and the wind is onshore. It's just too choppy for a good paddle.

The one standout, and it's a long-range promise, is on Friday, July 31st. We've got a solid 8 ft swell from the NW with a 10-second period, and the combined energy is a massive 1479 – that's strong wave energy. The wind is light cross-onshore from the SW, which is the best we've seen in weeks. This is the only time in the whole forecast where the swell is big enough to be fun but not too big, and the wind is manageable. For a spot like Morro Rock that's fairly exposed to the NW, this is the one to watch. It's a long way off, but it has promise. For the rest of the window, it's a waiting game.

Rusty.

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