Number Fours Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Number Fours (reef) has in store for us. Honestly, the next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag, and we’re going to have to wait through some grotty conditions before anything really gets going.

The water is sitting at a warm 80°, which is about average for the time of year, so no need to dig out the thick rubber just yet.

The immediate outlook is pretty grim. We’ve got a solid ENE wind blowing, and the swell is from the same direction, which is going to make a mess of things. The wave energy is moderate (551) on Saturday the 18th, with a lumpy 6ft, 8-second windswell, but it’s just poor surf. We’ve got a few days of marginal, cross-off wind and weakish swell that’s not really worth paddling out for.

The real glimmer comes on Monday the 20th. The afternoon sees a switch to a proper S groundswell. At 3ft and a long 16-second period, it’s not huge, but that long period suggests proper lines and shape. The energy is moderate (630). The wind is still cross-off, but it’s clean. The water is still warm. It’s just a marginal outlook, but it’s the best we’ve had so far. This reminds me, this long period swell is going to wrap in nicely here at this reef, focusing the energy better than a beach break would.

After that, we drift into a long dry spell. The wind just won’t let up, and the swell is small and mixed up. There’s a lot of cross-off breeze and small, short-period junk. The energy values are all over the place, but the quality is just not there.

We get a bit of a pulse around the 24th and 25th of July. The swell jumps back to 6ft to 7ft from the ENE, but it’s short period (7-8 seconds) and the wind is still cranking. That’s a messy, choppy combo that’s more for the kite crew than a proper paddle session. The combined energy is actually strong on the 24th afternoon (1169) and 25th morning (1180), but the poor wind and short period kill the vibe.

Finally, there’s a promising but less certain window towards the end of the month. On the 26th of July, we see a mix of E swell with a 16-second period, and the wind drops to a moderate breeze from the NE. The swell is 3ft to 4ft, and the energy is strong (1503). This is the standout of the entire outlook. It’s a proper groundswell with a very long period, and the wind is just about manageable. This is where the reef will shine. The 27th keeps that going with a similar 5ft, 14-15 second swell and moderate ENE wind. The score is finally a 3, which is the best we get. The 28th mirrors that, with 5ft, 13-second swell and moderate wind. Week two is looking more promising than the first, but it’s still a long way out.

The vibe is a bit flat for the first week, but once we hit that last week of July, the groundswell is the real deal. It’s a quiet start, but the reef will wake up.

Rusty

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