New Jetty/South Jetty Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer for the next couple of weeks at New Jetty/South Jetty. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – for the majority of this period, you’re looking at pretty grim conditions. The swell is almost always small, the wind is consistently on it or cross-on, and the wave quality is poor. There’s a real long gap here where it’s just not worth paddling out, so don’t get your hopes up for any proper sessions until way later.

We start off Wednesday morning, July 15, with tiny 1 ft swell out of the southwest, a very long 18-second period – that’s groundswell, but it’s too weak to do much. Combined energy is a measly 92, and the wind’s on it from the southwest at 6 mph. Water temp is 66°F, which is a touch warmer than normal for this time of year, so that’s something nice. But the surf is poor, just forget it. Wednesday afternoon is the same story. Thursday July 16 sees a slight bump to 3 ft from the west, period 9 seconds, but the wind is cross-on from the west at 6 mph and the surf is still poor. Friday and the weekend are more of the same – tiny waves, onshore wind, poor conditions.

There is one brief moment that catches the eye. Saturday afternoon, July 18, we get 1 ft from the southwest, period 18 seconds, combined energy 137 – weak. But the wind goes glassy from the south-southwest at just 3 mph. The report says “surfable waves but very ordinary conditions” – that glassy wind is a major positive, meaning the surface will be clean. If you’re desperate for a paddle and want to sit out the back on a log, that short window might be your only chance. But honestly, with that tiny swell, it’s not a standout day.

From Sunday July 19 right through to Thursday July 30, it’s a long stretch of poor surf. The swell fluctuates between 1 ft and 3 ft, but the wind is almost always onshore, cross-on, or choppy. Combined energy values do climb into the moderate range – like Monday July 20 morning at 183, and Thursday July 23 afternoon at 345 – but the surf quality remains poor or marginal. The wind just ruins it. By Saturday July 25 afternoon, combined energy hits 737 – moderate energy – with 3 ft south swell and 13-second period, but it’s cross-on from the west-southwest at 9 mph, making it choppy and messy. Still a no-go for a good surf.

The best of a bad bunch is probably Thursday July 23 afternoon. We’ve got 3 ft from the south, period 14 seconds, combined energy 345 (moderate), and the wind is light cross-on from the south-southwest at 3 mph. It’s only “marginal” – the tide or something is off – but it’s the closest we get to a clean-ish wave in this whole window. Still, it’s not a standout. For beginners, stay away when swell hits over 5 ft, but nothing here gets close. This swell is tiny.

Overall, this is a blank run for New Jetty/South Jetty. No strong swells, no clean offshore days. The setup is a fairly exposed beginner break, but with these winds and sizes, even the kite surfers would be looking elsewhere – the waves are just too small. Forecasts can change, but right now, this is a long stretch with no good options.

Rusty.

Read more