Point Cartwright/Secrets Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G’day, Rusty here. Look, I’ll be straight with you – the next couple of weeks are a bit of a mixed bag for Point Cartwright/Secrets. We’ve got a long stretch of tiny, messy stuff to wade through before anything worth getting excited about shows up. It’s a reef and point setup, so it needs a decent swell direction to really fire, and for the first week, it’s just not happening.

The first real glimmer comes on Wednesday morning, July 29. We’re looking at a tiny 3ft easterly swell, but the real story is the wind – dead glassy, offshore from the WSW. That’s a major positive; it’ll be clean as a whistle. But the energy is weak (64), and the period is a short 6 seconds, so it’s really just small, clean little waves. Not a standout, but a nice start if you’re desperate for a paddle.

We then go through a few days of nothing special. Thursday and Friday (July 30-31) have some offshore wind, but the swell is tiny or gets chopped up by the wind. Friday morning (July 31) has a bump to 4ft from the ESE with a 6-second period, and a moderate offshore breeze keeping it clean. The combined energy hits 135 – that’s moderate. It’s surfable, but still very ordinary. Saturday (August 1) has a similar story, with a bit more size in the afternoon but cross-off winds.

Now, here’s where it gets interesting. The first true standout hits Monday, August 3. The morning brings a clean 3ft east swell, with a gentle offshore breeze from the south at 9 mph. The combined energy is solid at 255 – that’s strong. The wave comment says “expect good surf conditions,” and for a score of 2, that’s our best bet in the first week. The swell direction is east, and the optimum here is east, so this is a perfect match. It’s a consistent spot, but it’s often crowded, so expect company. The water temp is about average for this time of year, nothing unusual.

The next standout is worth waiting for. Wednesday, August 5, delivers a 5ft southeast swell, again with a gentle offshore from the south. The wind is clean, the energy is a whopping 291 (very strong), and the period is a short 7 seconds. This is the biggest swell in the window, and it’s got the right direction and wind. The afternoon gets a bit messy with cross-off winds, but the morning session is the pick of the entire forecast. With 5ft, it’s fine for experienced surfers but might be a bit much for beginners.

After that, the swell drops off quickly. Thursday (August 6) has some light rain and a 4ft swell, but it’s ordinary. Friday (August 7) through to the end of the second week (August 11) is mostly poor, with tiny waves and strong winds. The last few days, like August 10 and 11, have tiny swell from weird directions (north and northwest) with onshore or cross-onshore winds, so it’s a write-off. There’s a gap of about 4 days with no real recommendations from August 7 to August 10.

So, the bottom line: if you’re keen, Monday August 3 and Wednesday August 5 are the only two days that really fire. Wednesday the 5th is the biggest and best, but it’s over a week away, so keep an eye on it. The rest is small and scratchy.

Rusty.

Read more