Pipeline Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's talk about what's heading our way.

So, we're looking at a surf forecast that's a bit of a slow burn, starting right now on July 13th. Honestly, the first week is a bit of a tease. Swell is hanging around the 2 to 3 ft mark, but it's coming from the south-west and south-south-west, which is cross-off for us. The wind is a steady cross-off from the east-north-east, and while the wave faces will be clean, the energy is just not there yet. The combined energy is bouncing around between 338 and 612 (moderate), but the wave heights are small and the reports are only calling it "marginal" at best.

For the first week, from the 13th through the 19th, it's all pretty small and weak. The swell is almost constant, but the real kicker is that it's just not enough to get excited about. The best of a bad bunch looks to be Tuesday the 14th, where the energy hits 612 (moderate) for the morning, but it's still only about 3 ft. It's a groundswell with a period of 14 seconds, so it'll be clean, but don't expect barrels. It's a "maybe" at best.

Then we hit a real lull. From July 20th right through to the morning of the 27th, the swell drops to 1 ft or 2 ft for most of it. The energy numbers are dropping into the double digits, or just barely staying in the low triple digits. It's a big gap of nearly a week with basically nothing worth paddling out for. The 23rd of July morning sees a long-period 21-second groundswell, but it's only 1 ft. That's a whisper, not a wave.

The one real standout, the only blip on the radar, comes right at the very end of the outlook. On July 28th, Tuesday afternoon, the forecast kicks up. A new 4 ft swell from the north-north-east hits, with a period of 8 seconds. The energy jumps to 316 (moderate), and the wind is a gentle breeze from the east-north-east, keeping it clean. This is a short-period wind swell, so it won't have the power of a groundswell, but it's the biggest wave height we've seen in the whole forecast. For Pipeline, this is the only time it looks like it might actually offer a rideable wave. The direction is north-north-east, which is tricky for the optimum west-north-west, but at 4 ft it's still a fun size for experts. The crowd is "often" here, so expect some company. The water temp is a warm 79°, which is about normal for this time of year.

So, if you're dead set on a session, keep your eyes on July 28th. That afternoon window is the only one that looks like it could be worth a look. The rest of the 16 days is a write-off for any real surf.

Rusty.

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