National Park Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it for National Park.

We’ve got some swell on the way, but it’s gonna be a mixed bag with the wind, so you’ll have to pick your windows. The water’s sitting at 69°F, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year, so you might want an extra millimeter of rubber.

The first real action kicks off on Wednesday the 8th of July. We’re seeing a solid 8ft of SE swell rolling in, with a period of 12 seconds. That’s a proper groundswell, and it’s pumping a lot of energy – around 1645 (combined energy). That’s strong stuff. The catch is the wind is howling from the SSE at 19 mph, putting it cross-offshore. It’s clean enough but that wind will be pushing hard. This is serious wave height, over 8ft, so this is for experienced surfers only. The break is a point, which is a good thing for a long-period swell like this, as it won’t close out as badly as a beach break.

Thursday the 9th and Friday the 10th are more of the same vibe – dropping from 7ft to 6ft, still with that SE groundswell. The wind eases back a bit, down to 12-16 mph, still cross-off. Energy is still strong, in the 1000-1300 range. It stays clean but still hefty. The wave quality is just so-so with the wind, but the waves themselves have good shape.

Then we get a real shift on Saturday the 11th. The swell drops right back to 4ft in the morning and 3ft in the afternoon. Wind goes light – 6 mph from the S and then from the E – still cross-off. This is the standout window. The energy drops off to around 300, but that’s actually a nice, manageable level. The break is a point, fairly consistent, and with these light winds, it should be clean and fun. Keep in mind, this spot can get crowded often, so get in early. The swell direction from the SE is right in the sweet spot for this break, which loves an ENE swell, so this is lining up pretty well.

Sunday the 12th is a bit of a write-off for the morning with onshore wind, but the afternoon glass off is magic – 3 mph from the NW, absolute glass, with 3ft of ESE swell. That will be worth a look for a small-wave cruiser.

From Monday the 13th all the way through to Thursday the 23rd of July, it gets real quiet. Swell heights drop below 3ft, mostly sitting around 0.7ft to 2ft. The energy is weak, mostly under 100, which tells you it’s flat. There’s a long, boring gap here with no real recommendations. There are a few random afternoons with offshore winds, like Tuesday the 14th and Thursday the 16th, but the swell just isn’t there to do anything with. A couple of days around the 23rd show a tiny uptick to 2ft-2ft, but it’s still ordinary. The break is a point and fairly consistent normally, so when it’s this flat, it’s a proper lull.

Bottom line: Get on it Wednesday the 8th for the big stuff if you’re an expert, or wait until Saturday the 11th for the clean, fun-sized waves. The rest of the two weeks is a waiting game.

- Rusty

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