Publics Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the menu for Publics over the next couple of weeks. Gotta be straight with you, it’s a tough stretch ahead. The forecast is looking pretty grim for most of the period, with a big gap of poor surf conditions until we see a few glimmers of hope further out.

First off, the ocean here is sitting at a pretty standard 80°F for the time of year, nothing unusual there.

The problem is that from Sunday the 5th of July right through to the 11th of July, the conditions are just rubbish. We’ve got a persistent cross-off wind blowing at 19-25 mph and a messy, short-period swell from the ENE. The combined wave energy sits in the moderate range (between 440 and 961), but it’s all wind-affected slop. There’s nothing surfable here for a solid week.

The only real movement happens around the 12th of July, when a bit of long-period groundswell from the SSW sneaks in. On Sunday the 12th of July morning, we see a tiny 3ft swell with a 16-second period. The energy is still moderate at 758, but it’s a "marginal" call due to tide. If you’re desperate, that’s the window to look at, but don’t get your hopes up. Monday the 13th of July morning brings another small SSW pulse at 3ft with a 15-second period (energy at 671), still marginal, but again, it’s small and the wind hasn't let up.

The only standout window in this whole outlook – and I mean the only one – is Thursday the 16th of July afternoon. We get a bit of ENE windswell pushing 5ft at a short 7-second period, but the wind finally drops to a moderate breeze at 12 mph, and the score bumps up to a 2 out of 10. The wave energy is moderate at 533, and the wave state is clean. For this stretch, that’s about as good as it gets. It won’t be epic, but it will be the most rideable afternoon of the fortnight. Friday the 17th of July morning also shows marginal potential with 6ft of short-period swell, but the wind stays moderate.

After that, it’s back to poor conditions all the way to the end of the forecast. Publics is a spot that’s always crowded, and right now it’s exposed to a lot of onshore energy. The optimum swell direction is from the SSE, but we’re getting hammered by ENE slop most of the time. For beginners, a lot of this swell is heading over the 5ft mark, but the lack of quality means it’s not beginner-friendly anyway. When it does kick over 7ft, it’s going to be a bumpy, blown-out mess. Honestly, for most of this outlook, the setup looks more interesting for kite surfing than paddle surfing.

So, to sum it up: don’t waste your petrol for the first week. The best bet is a lookout on Thursday the 16th of July afternoon for a short, messy session. Everything else is a write-off.

Rusty.

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