Publics Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for Publics. This is a beach and reef setup, and it’s exposed to the swell, so when it hits, it hits. The water temp is sitting about average for the time of year, nothing too wild.

Right now, we’ve got a bit of a wait. The first few days are a mixed bag, but the real action kicks off on Tuesday, 28 July. We’ve got a solid 7ft to 8ft easterly groundswell rolling in with a 13-second period, pushing a heap of energy (1820 to 2120). The wind is a moderate offshore from the NE, keeping things clean. This is the standout of the first week. It’s a bit on the bigger side, over 8ft by the afternoon, so this one is for the experienced crew. Beginners will want to sit this one out.

Then things get messy. Wednesday, 29 July, the swell drops to 2ft from the south, onshore wind, and it’s a write-off. Thursday, 30 July, we see a mismatched day: morning has a short-period 5ft ENE swell, but the afternoon brings a very long-period 2ft SSW groundswell (18 seconds) that’s clean but tiny. Not a day to get excited about.

Friday, 31 July, through to the start of August, the wind picks up hard from the ENE, hitting 25 to 31 mph. The swell hangs around 6ft to 8ft, but it’s short-period (7-8 seconds) and cross-offshore. The wave energy is moderate to strong (807 to 1314), but the quality is poor to marginal. With that much wind and short-period chop, this setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing. The crowds are always at Publics, so expect company.

There’s a gap in quality until Thursday, 6 August. On Thursday afternoon, the wind swings to a light offshore from the NNE at 12 mph, pushing a 7ft swell from the ENE. The period is short (7 seconds), but the combination of offshore wind and decent size makes for some fun, clean waves. The energy is moderate (564). This is the other standout in the second week, but it’s a short-period swell, so it’ll be a bit lumpy.

The rest of the run into the second week (7 August to 12 August) is dominated by strong ENE winds (22-25 mph) and a mix of 5ft to 8ft ENE swells, but the quality stays poor or marginal. The swell is too wind-affected, and the energy is moderate to strong (454 to 1160). There’s a brief blip of long-period S and SSW swell on 10 and 11 August, but it’s tiny (3ft to 4ft) and the wind is still a problem. Not worth chasing.

To sum it up: Tuesday, 28 July, is the clear winner – big, clean, offshore, and powerful. Thursday, 6 August afternoon, is a decent second option if you’re after a cleaner window with less wind. The rest is a write-off or for the windsurfers.

Rusty.

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