Number Fours Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks at Number Fours.

Well, the first real standout looks like Wednesday morning the 29th of July. That’s the one to get excited about. The water’s sitting at 80°, bang on average for this time of year, so nothing unusual there. Swell’s dropping a touch from the days before, but we’ve got a clean 6 ft from the ENE, with a period of 10 seconds – that’s a nice, punchy groundswell with some proper shape. The real magic is the wind: glass. Absolutely dead calm. That’s going to give you silky-smooth, clean faces. The combined energy is moderate (909), solid enough for a good session. It’s a reef break, so that long period will wrap in nicely, and it’s fairly consistent. Crowds are only a possibility, not a given. For an intermediate, this is as good as it gets right now.

The morning of Tuesday the 28th is actually the biggest swell in the window, with 7 ft from the E and a 13-second period. That’s a proper groundswell, with strong wave energy (1820). But the wind is a cross-off from the NE at 15 mph. It’s clean, but not perfect. The size is pushing into that territory where it’s more for the experienced crew, not beginners. It’s a good session, but that Wednesday morning is the cleaner option.

After that, the week turns into a bit of a grind. Wednesday afternoon the 29th is still clean and fun at 6 ft, but the wind picks up a little. Thursday the 30th is smaller and the wind starts to build. Friday the 31st and the weekend of the 1st and 2nd of August see the wind really cranking – strong breezes from the ENE, with the swell sitting around 7 ft to 10 ft, but the period drops to 8 seconds. That’s short-period, wind-affected slop, and the combined energy is moderate to strong (up to 1420), but it’s not going to be pretty. The wind is cross-off, so it’s not directly onshore, but it’s strong enough to mess with the surface. For a beach and reef setup, it might actually be more interesting for the kite surfers than us paddle folk.

Monday the 3rd and Tuesday the 4th of August see the swell back down to 5 ft to 5 ft, with a return to a longer period on Tuesday (12 seconds). But the wind is still a moderate to fresh breeze, cross-off. It’s surfable, but nothing to write home about.

The second week is a bit of a mixed bag. From the 5th to the 8th of August, it’s mostly poor with strong winds and short-period, wind-affected swell. Then on the 9th and 10th, a new long-period SSW groundswell shows up, 16 to 18 seconds, but it’s small – only 3 ft to 4 ft. The combined energy is moderate (up to 907). That’s a very long period, which can be tricky at a beach break, but at a reef it could offer some nice, clean lines if the wind plays ball. The wind is cross-off, clean enough. It’s a promising but less certain call that far out.

The 11th of August is a similar story, small long-period SSW swell. Then the 12th of August finishes the window with a return to short-period, wind-affected ENE junk.

So, if you’re looking for the best of the bunch, lock in Wednesday morning, the 29th of July. After that, the early part of the second week (the 10th and 11th of August) might offer a few fun ones if the long-period holds, but it’s a gamble.

Rusty.

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