Lighthouse Right Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let’s size up Lighthouse Right.

Right off the bat, I’ve gotta be straight with you – this is a lean stretch. We’re looking at a long, quiet spell with barely a ripple worth paddling for. The first decent bit of energy doesn’t show up until the end of the month, and even then, it’s a battle with the wind.

The water temp is sitting at 72°, which is bang on average for this time of year, so no surprises there.

For the first week, from Thursday the 30th of July all the way through to about Wednesday the 5th of August, it’s a real mixed bag of onshore slop and wind. We get a little pulse of swell on the 31st – a 3ft SSW swell with a solid 14-second period – but the wind is cross-off, which is okay, but the energy is moderate at best (431). The truth is, the surf quality is poor, and the scores are bottom of the barrel. There’s a bit more size on the 1st of August, with 5ft from the SSW, but that wind is straight onshore and strong at 22 mph, so it’s gonna be a mess. The combined energy bumps up to 536, which is moderate, but it’s not gonna be fun.

From the 2nd through the 5th, it’s mostly fresh cross-onshore winds and lumpy conditions. The swell drops off to nothing on the 2nd and 3rd, then comes back a little on the 4th with 4ft at 17 seconds, but still with that cross-on breeze. The energy is strong (879), but the wind ruins it. This is a spot where the wind is killing any chance of a clean wave.

Then we hit a real dead zone. From the 6th of August all the way through to the 13th, there’s practically nothing. Tiny swells, weak energy (down to single digits and low double digits), and mostly onshore or cross winds. There’s a moment on the morning of the 11th that’s glassy, but there’s no swell at all – zero energy. It’s a classic flat spell for this area.

The only glimmer of hope is right at the end of the forecast window, on Friday the 14th of August. We get a 3ft SSW swell, period around 10 seconds, and the wind turns cross-off from the WNW at 19 mph. That’s clean. The combined energy is 207, which is moderate. It’s not a big day, but it’s the best on offer. The swell direction (SSW) is also a good match for the break’s optimum (WSW), so it should line up alright. But with 3ft, it’s a small wave, and the crowds at Lighthouse Right can be sometimes an issue, but on a day this small, it might not be too bad.

Honestly, if you’re a kite surfer, the windy days with a bit of swell might be more your game than a paddle surfer’s. For the rest of us, the 14th is the only real shout, and it’s a long way off.

Stay patient, my friends. The ocean will turn around.

- Rusty

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