Publics Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again. Let’s break this down for Publics in feet and miles. I won’t sugarcoat it – the next couple of weeks are a real downer. Starting now, we’ve got a long, bleak stretch of poor surf ahead.

From Tuesday the 7th of July all the way through to Sunday the 20th of July, you can pretty much leave the board at home. The wind is screaming from the ENE at 22 to 25 mph, day in and day out. It’s a stiff, persistent breeze that’s wrecking any chance of decent waves. You see swell hanging around 6 ft to 8 ft, mostly short-period windswell coming in at 7 to 8 seconds from the ENE, and wave energy is moderate – readings ranging from about 470 to 919. But it doesn’t matter one bit because the wind’s so strong it’s just blown out. Every session comes back as “poor surf conditions” with a score of zero out of ten.

On Sunday the 12th of July morning, there’s a little pulse of long-period groundswell from the SW, 16 seconds, but it’s only 3 ft. The energy’s at 760, which is decent, but that wind is still howling from the ENE at 25 mph. It’ll be choppy and hard to ride.

Publics is a beach and reef break, and it’s exposed to the ENE. Problem is, the wind is coming from the exact same direction the swell is coming from, and it’s just too strong to get clean lines. The optimum swell direction would be SSE, but we’re not seeing any of that. Water temp is about 80°F, which is pretty normal for this time of year – nothing wild.

After that long run of nothing, things start to ease up a touch around Tuesday the 21st of July. The wind drops to around 19 mph in the morning, swell comes down to 5 ft, and we finally get a “marginal” rating – a score of one out of ten. It’s not good, but it’s not a zero. On Wednesday the 22nd, the wind eases even more to about 16 mph in the afternoon, swell is 4 ft with an 8-second period from the ENE, and energy is 471. Still rough, but it’s the most promising moment in the whole forecast.

Truth is, there isn’t a single standout day here. If I had to pick the least bad window, it’d be the morning of Wednesday the 22nd of July – lighter wind, smaller but maybe a little cleaner. Honestly, with this constant cross-off wind and moderate swell, this setup is probably gonna be more fun for kitesurfers than paddle surfers. For now, I’d say sit tight and wait for the forecasts to turn.

Rusty.

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