Number Fours Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s talk about Number Fours. It’s a pretty frustrating stretch ahead for us here. We’ve got a reef break that’s fairly consistent, but the wind and swell combo is just not doing us any favours for a good long while.

The water temp is sitting at 80°, which is pretty normal for this time of year, about what you’d expect.

Right from Wednesday the 8th, it’s a write-off. We’ve got a 7ft swell coming out of the ENE, but it’s short period at 7 seconds, and that persistent 25 mph cross-off wind just chops it all up. It’s all clean-looking on the surface, but the energy is all wrong. That same story runs all the way through the first week and into the second. There’s swell in the water, mostly between 5ft and 8ft, but the period never gets above 8 seconds. That’s a messy, short-period windswell that the reef just won’t groom into anything decent. The combined wave energy is moderate, hitting between 446 and 858 on the scale, but it’s junk energy.

We’ve got a solid 8 or 9 day gap here where there’s barely a sniff of a worthwhile wave. Everything is either “poor surf conditions” or “marginal.” You can see the frustration in the numbers.

Now, right at the tail end of the forecast, things get interesting. On Monday the 20th, the swell direction swings around to the S with a very long 15-second period. The height drops to 4ft, but the energy jumps to 878. That’s a groundswell, and for a reef like Number Fours that likes it from the SSE, that’s a promising sign despite the cross-off wind. But the real standout is Tuesday the 21st and Wednesday the 22nd. The swell drops to 3ft, but it’s coming from the E with an 18-second period, and the combined energy hits a massive 1185 to 1266. That is very strong wave energy for such a small height. We’re talking a proper, very long period groundswell wrapping in. The wind stays cross-off, which is not ideal for a reef, but with that period, if the direction lines up, those waves will have serious shape and push. It’s a two-day window that looks promising, but it’s a long way out, so don’t lock it in just yet.

After that, by Thursday the 23rd, it starts to back off again.

So, if you’re a surfer, the first week and a half is a hard pass. The only true standouts on offer are the mornings of the 21st and 22nd of July at Number Fours. That E swell with a very long period and that massive energy rating is the one to keep an eye on.

Rusty

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