Onjuku Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right then, let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Onjuku. The next week and a half is a bit of a mixed bag, but there’s a proper window of solid, groundswell-driven surf coming up that’ll have the experienced crew licking their lips. The first few days are a write-off, though.

We’re kicking off on Saturday the 4th of July with nothing to get excited about. Tiny, weak 2 ft easterly windswell, a cross-on breeze, and the water’s sitting at 72°, which is a bit colder than normal for this time of year. The combined energy is only 84 (weak), and the comment says it all: poor surf. Sunday the 5th is no better – still small, choppy, and poor. Monday the 6th sees a bit of a tease with a longer period (13 seconds) but the swell is only 2 ft, and the cross-shore breeze messes it up. The energy jumps to 313 (moderate), but the surf quality is still rubbish.

Now, Tuesday the 7th is when things start to shift. The swell bumps up to 4 ft from the SSE, with a very long 16-second period. The wind goes cross-offshore from the NE, and the morning session is described as clean. The combined energy is a substantial 1013 (strong). This is a proper groundswell, and while 4 ft sounds modest, that period will give it some punch. It’s still a marginal call, but it’s the first real chance of a wave. The afternoon gets bigger, hitting 8 ft from the SE with the same long period, and the energy rockets to 3012 (very strong). The wind stays cross-off, so it’ll be clean but big. This is getting into expert-only territory for sure.

The standout window is Wednesday the 8th. The morning session is the pick of the whole forecast. We’re looking at 8 ft of swell from the SSE, with a 17-second period that’s about as long as it gets. The wind is a clean cross-offshore from the ENE, and the report says “excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers.” The combined energy is a massive 4299 (very strong). This is a serious, powerful groundswell hitting an exposed beach. It’s going to be big, clean, and demanding. The afternoon stays large at 10 ft, but the wind goes cross-shore, so it’ll get a bit of a chop on it. The energy is 5796 (very strong), but the quality drops off.

Thursday the 9th and Friday the 10th keep the size going with 7 ft to 8 ft swell from the SSE and S, still with long 15-16 second periods and strong to very strong energy (3043 to 3632). The wind holds cross-shore, so it’s not glassy, but it’s not blown out. These are still solid days for experienced surfers, but the quality is listed as marginal, likely due to the cross-shore wind and perhaps the tide. The swell direction is shifting more southerly, which isn’t the optimum SSE for the break.

The weekend of the 11th and 12th sees the swell dropping back. Saturday the 11th still has 8 ft of S swell with a 17-second period, but the wind is onshore from the SSE, which will mess it up. The energy is still strong at 3142, but the quality is poor. Sunday the 12th is down to 5-6 ft, onshore, and the energy is fading to 965 (moderate). After that, it’s a long, slow fade. From Monday the 13th all the way through to Sunday the 19th, the swell drops below 3 ft, the period shortens, and the wind is mostly onshore or cross-onshore. The combined energy is weak (under 144), and the surf is consistently poor. That’s a solid week of flatness to end the run.

So, the bottom line: the first few days are a bust. The real action is from Tuesday the 7th afternoon through to Friday the 10th, with Wednesday the 8th morning being the absolute standout – big, long-period groundswell with clean offshore winds. That’s a proper session for the experts. The rest of the 16 days is a write-off. Onjuku is an exposed beach, so it’s going to be handling all that energy, but with the long period, the sets will be powerful and the paddle-outs will be a mission. Keep an eye on the tides.

Rusty.

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