Onjuku Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s get into it. Onjuku’s our only spot on the radar, and honestly, the first week is a bit of a write-off. We’ve got a real run of poor surf through to the end of July, with a lot of cross-onshore wind and small, weak swell. The energy’s just not there, with numbers like 178 (weak) in the early morning of the 18th, and it stays under 300 for most of the first week. Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th are flat and messy, with a 3 ft to 4 ft E swell at 8-9 seconds – that’s short period, windswell junk. The wind’s on it, making things choppy.

There’s a bit of a break on Thursday the 24th and Friday the 25th, where the wind swings offshore or cross-off, giving us clean conditions, but the swell’s tiny – 2 ft to 2 ft, with energy in the 100-166 range (weak). It’s surfable, but don’t expect much. It’s like a low tide grovel on a longboard.

Now, the real story is the end of the month. From Monday the 27th, the swell jumps up, but it’s a mixed bag. Monday morning we see a 7 ft SSE swell at 15 seconds, with energy at 1922 (moderate-strong), but the wind is cross-on and choppy. The forecast says “marginal” – it’s a messy one. Then Tuesday the 28th, the swell hits 12 ft SSE at 14 seconds, with energy at 6656 (very strong). The wind is offshore, light, and it’s clean. But here’s the catch: that’s way too big for Onjuku. It’s predicted to be too big for this break, so it’s expert-only, and even then, it’s going to be a washing machine. The water temp is about average for the time of year at 78°F, with a tiny anomaly of +0.5°F – nothing to get excited about.

Honestly, the standout window is a tough call. The biggest, cleanest swell is on the 28th and 29th, with 13 ft to 15 ft SSE swell, long period of 14-16 seconds, and light winds. But the wave comment says it’s too big for the break. If you’re an expert, it’s the only real option, but it’s a dangerous one. The combined energy on those days is in the 8000-9000 range (very strong). For the average surfer, there’s nothing to recommend.

After that, the first week of August sees the swell drop back down, but the wind howls – 25 mph SSE on the 1st and 2nd, making it completely blown out. It’s a solid 10-day gap of poor to unsurfable conditions from the 18th to the 27th, with a few small, clean days in the middle that are barely worth it.

So, the best of a bad lot? If you’re a charger, keep an eye on Tuesday the 28th and Wednesday the 29th. The swell’s huge, the period’s long, and the wind’s light, but it’s only for the brave. For everyone else, it’s a waiting game. The water’s warm, but the surf is not.

Rusty.

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