PKs Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – this forecast for PKs is a tough one. There’s a lot of days where the numbers just don’t stack up for a proper paddle. The wind is blowing from the ENE almost constantly, which is cross-off here, and while the wave faces stay clean, the swell energy is all over the place.

We’re kicking off Sunday the 12th with nothing to write home about. Swell is a tiny 2ft from the SW, with a long period of 16 seconds, but the combined energy is weak (360). The 16 mph winds are making it messy, and the reports say it’s poor. Monday and Tuesday are much the same – marginal at best, with the same small, long-period groundswell. The period is long, over 15 seconds, which means the waves will have good shape but with long lulls between sets. At a reef setup like PKs, that’s not a disaster, but the size is just too small to get excited about.

The real story here is a slow grind. Wednesday the 15th and Thursday the 16th see a tiny up-tick to 3ft from the W, but the energy is moderate (around 470-560). It’s still marginal. The wind stays cross-off, so the surf is clean, but it’s not doing much.

Then we hit a bit of a lull. Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th are mostly poor, with the swell dropping to 2ft and energy falling below 300. This is a flat spell.

Sunday the 19th brings a bit of a spike with a 5ft short-period easterly swell (7 seconds), but the energy is still moderate (359) and the surf is marginal. The short period means it’ll be a bit weak and crumbly.

Monday the 20th is a weird one – a 2ft swell from the east with a very long period of 19 seconds, giving moderate energy (533). That’s a classic groundswell, but tiny. It’s more of a longboard wave.

The real standouts, if you can call them that, start to appear from the end of the first week into the second. Tuesday the 22nd of July has a 2ft swell from the SSW with a huge 24-second period, and energy climbing to 514. Still small, but that period is massive. The next few days, Wednesday the 23rd and Thursday the 24th, see the swell build to 3ft to 3ft from the SSW, with periods dropping to 21-18 seconds. The energy is now strong, hitting 730-901. The wind is still cross-off, so it’ll be clean.

The best of the lot looks like Saturday the 25th and Sunday the 26th. On Saturday the 25th, we’re looking at a 3ft to 4ft swell from the S, with a period of 19-20 seconds, and the energy is very strong (1097-1122). That’s the biggest energy of the whole forecast. The wind is a moderate 16-19 mph from the ENE, staying cross-off, so the waves will be clean. This is the standout session. The swell is a bit long for a beach break, but at PKs, a reef, it’ll handle that long period beautifully. It’s not too big for an intermediate, but it’s enough to get a proper wave. The water temperature doesn’t have a notable anomaly, so it’s about average for this time of year.

Sunday the 26th is still solid, with 4ft from the S and a 17-second period, but the energy is dropping (766). It’s still a good day, but not as powerful as Saturday.

The far end of the forecast, Monday the 27th, is back to marginal 3ft SSW swell.

So, the play is clear. The first week is a write-off for any decent paddle. There’s a big gap from the 12th to the 19th where it’s mostly poor or marginal. The real window is the last weekend of the forecast, specifically Saturday the 25th of July. That’s your best bet. The swell direction is from the south, which is the optimum for PKs, the period is long, and the energy is cranking. It’s going to be a proper session. The crowds are listed as ‘sometimes’, so expect a few locals out, but it won’t be a zoo.

Otherwise, it’s a case of checking back later. The forecasts can change, and this area tends to get more going on, so don’t write it off entirely.

Rusty.

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