Ponto Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s cooking for Ponto over the next couple of weeks.

First off, I gotta be straight with you – there’s a bit of a slow start. The surf kicks off Monday the 27th of July, but it’s not exactly firing. We’ve got a solid groundswell coming in from the SSW, around 4 ft, with a super long period of 18 seconds. That’s a lot of energy in the water (combined energy of 1126), but the conditions are a bit messy. The wind is onshore or cross-onshore for most of the early sessions, and the reports are saying it’s marginal – the tide might be messing with it. It’s a bit of a bummer, because the swell has real potential, but the wind is letting us down.

That long period (18 seconds) is a classic groundswell. It’ll have some real push and nice, long lines, but the onshore wind is going to chop it up, especially at a river mouth like Ponto. It’s going to be a struggle for clean waves. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so no worries there.

Tuesday and Wednesday are more of the same, really. The swell drops a little to around 4 ft to 4 ft, and the period eases back to 16-17 seconds, but we’re still stuck with that cross-onshore wind. Energy is still moderate (around 867-1114), but the quality is just not there. It’s a frustrating start.

Now, Thursday the 30th of July and Friday the 31st see a slight shift in the swell direction to straight S, with heights picking up a bit to 5 ft to 6 ft. The period drops to 13-14 seconds, so it’s a bit more of a local windswell mix. The wind is looking better – mostly onshore but light, with a light breeze. That’s a positive. The energy is still solid (around 999-1049), but the reports are still calling it marginal. It’s the best of a bad bunch early on, but I wouldn’t call it a standout.

The real highlight, if you can call it that, is going to be early next week. By Saturday the 1st of August, the swell is down to 4 ft to 5 ft from the SSW, with a period of 12 seconds. The wind finally turns more offshore, with a light W to WSW breeze. The energy is dropping (510-608), but the conditions are going to be cleaner. This is actually the best window we’ve got in the whole outlook. The morning of Saturday the 1st is your best bet – light offshore wind, clean conditions, and some waist-high swell. It’s not going to be epic, but it’ll be a hell of a lot more fun than the choppy stuff earlier in the week.

Then the bottom falls out. From Sunday the 2nd of August all the way through to Tuesday the 11th of August, the swell just dies. We’re talking 2 ft to 3 ft, with period dropping from 20 seconds down to 13 seconds. The energy is in the toilet (100-500 range). The conditions are poor, and the guidance is giving it a zero. There’s a big gap of about 10 days with absolutely nothing worth paddling out for. It’s a flat spell, plain and simple.

So, to sum it up: The best window is the morning of Saturday the 1st of August. Get out there early with the light offshore breeze and some waist-high, clean lines. The rest of the window is either blown out or flat. For a spot like Ponto, this kind of blank run is a bit of a bummer, but it happens. Keep an eye on it – forecasts can change, but right now, it’s a waiting game.

Rusty.

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