120th Street Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’m gonna be straight with you – we’ve got a long, dry spell ahead for 120th Street. This is a beach/jetty setup that’s exposed to the swell, but the next week and a half is offering up next to nothing worth paddling out for. It’s a bit of a bummer, but the good news is that it’s July, so the water is a touch warmer than normal at 77°F, which is a nice little bonus for a long wait.

The forecast is bare for the first nine days, from Thursday the 16th of July right through to early Friday the 24th of July. We’re talking tiny, weak swells with periods so short they’re basically wind chop, and the wind is mostly cross or cross-onshore, making it choppy and messy. The combined swell energy is almost always in the low double digits (10 to 94), which is just weak. A few afternoon sessions on the 21st and 22nd look clean, but the swell is still a paltry 2ft to 3ft – not enough to do anything with. It’s going to be a frustrating wait.

Now, things start to look a little interesting on Saturday the 25th of July. The morning is glassy – yeah, glassy! – with a light SSW breeze and a 5ft swell from the ESE. The period is short at 5 seconds, but it’s surfable, and the combined energy is a moderate 117. It’s not a standout, but it’s the first sign of life. The real standout, though, is the Saturday afternoon. We’re looking at a big 10ft SSE swell rolling in, with a period of 9 seconds (groundswell energy) and a massive combined energy of 1659. That’s strong to very strong wave energy. But here’s the catch: the wind is a moderate cross-shore from the S at 12 mph, creating a cross-chop, and at 10ft, this is only for experts. Beginners, stay out of the water. This break is consistent, so it’s not a rare event, but the size will make it a heavy, powerful session. The swell direction from the SSE is a bit off the optimum of SE, but the sheer size will still produce some big, raw walls. Keep an eye on the crowd – it’s only “sometimes” busy, but for a big Saturday afternoon like this, expect plenty of locals out.

After that, the rest of the run into the end of the month fades back to small, weak, and mostly onshore junk. There’s a clean, glassy window on the morning of Friday the 31st of July, with a light N breeze, but it’s only 2ft – just a gentle bump for a longboard.

So, the only real standout is the afternoon of Saturday the 25th of July for the experts looking for a big, powerful session. The morning of the 25th is your best bet for a more manageable, glassy ride. Everything else is a waiting game.

Rusty.

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