Pitstops Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Right, mate, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on offer at Pitstops over the next 16 days.

It’s a bit of a slow start, to be honest. The first few days are marginal, with some swell but tricky conditions. We’ve got a mix of cross-offshore breezes and a risk of thunderstorms hanging around from Friday the 24th right through the weekend. The swell is there, around 6ft to 4ft, coming from the SSE, but the quality isn’t quite there yet. The energy is moderate, with readings around 789 to 325. It’s surfable, but nothing to write home about.

Things start to look up from Sunday the 26th afternoon, when the wind drops to glassy. That’s a major positive. The swell drops a touch to 4ft from the SSE, period around 9 seconds, but clean conditions make it worthwhile. Energy is moderate at 325. Monday the 27th stays small and glassy, with 3ft to 3ft swell. It’s ordinary, but clean.

Now, the real standout comes on Thursday the 30th of July. The morning sees a 2ft swell from the SSW, but with a very long period of 19 seconds and offshore wind from the east at 10 km/h. The energy is moderate at 544. That’s groundswell, and for a reef setup like Pitstops, that’s going to produce some proper, lined-up waves. The afternoon holds similar with a 3ft swell from the SSW, 18-second period, and clean conditions. This is the pick of the first week.

The next big highlight is on Saturday the 1st of August. The morning is glassy, with a 4ft swell from the SSW, 18-second period, and energy of 812. The afternoon is similarly glassy with 3ft from the SSW. This is looking very good – clean, long-period groundswell on a reef. The water temperature is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual.

Sunday the 2nd of August keeps it going with glassy conditions and a 4ft swell from the S, 18-second period, and energy of 1222. That’s strong energy. This is a true standout for the period.

Heading into the second week, it gets a bit more complicated. From Monday the 3rd of August, the wind shifts onshore and cross-onshore, with the swell building to 5ft from the S. The energy is strong (1128), but the wind is messy. Conditions are marginal. This run of onshore wind continues through to Wednesday the 5th, with swell around 5ft to 5ft. It’s not great for a clean surf.

Then, on Thursday the 6th of August, we get a brief window of magic. The morning is glassy, with a 5ft swell from the S, 13-second period, and energy of 1713 – that’s very strong. The afternoon cleans up with a cross-offshore breeze, 3ft swell from the S, and an 18-second period. This is excellent, but the 5ft morning swell is getting into the size that’s best left to experienced surfers.

Friday the 7th of August sees a 6ft swell from the S, 16-second period, with cross-offshore wind. The morning is a bit marginal, but the afternoon is excellent. Again, 6ft is a solid size, and with a long period, it’ll be powerful. This is for the experienced crew.

Saturday the 8th of August winds down with a 5ft swell from the S, 15-second period, but the wind picks up to a moderate breeze, making it a bit bumpy. Not the best way to end the forecast.

So, the standout sessions are the Thursday the 30th of July, Saturday the 1st of August, and Sunday the 2nd of August for clean, glassy conditions with solid groundswell. The Thursday the 6th of August is also a cracker, but that’s for the experts. The rest of the time, it’s either small, windy, or stormy. Keep an eye on the long-range stuff, it’s promising but less certain out there.

Rusty.

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