Raffs Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here, checking in on the home stretch. Let’s have a look at what’s on the menu.

We’re starting off with a bit of a slow burn. The first few days have some surf on offer, but it’s not going to set the world on fire. Saturday morning, the 18th of July, Raffs Beach is seeing a 5ft swell from the SW, with a nice long period of 14 seconds. The wind’s a light cross-off, so the conditions are clean. The water’s sitting at 56°, which is about bang on average for this time of year. The combined energy is moderate (828). It’s a solid, beginner-friendly wave, but nothing to get overly emotional about. Saturday afternoon cleans up even more, going glassy, with the swell dropping a touch to 4ft. Sunday sees the swell back off a bit more, but the morning wind goes light offshore, so it’ll be clean and workable.

The real standout window, though, is the one that’s a week and a half away. We’ve got a run of days from the 31st of July through to the 2nd of August that look like the pick of the bunch. The Friday morning on the 31st, we’ve got a 7ft SW swell, a light offshore breeze from the NW, and the water is clean. The combined energy is strong (1636). That’s already a solid session. But Saturday, the 1st of August, is where it peaks. A 7ft SW swell, but with a very long period of 16 seconds, and a glassy offshore wind from the north. The energy is big (2190). That’s groundswell, straight from the deep. It’s a big wave, pushing past 8ft for the experts, but for a confident surfer, that’s a special morning. Sunday the 2nd keeps that energy going with a 7ft, 17-second pulse, glassy conditions again in the morning. That’s a true standout.

Now, there’s a warning with this long-period groundswell. At 16 and 17 seconds, it’s going to be a lot of water moving. It’s going to break straight at a beach break, so this is a spot that will handle it best. The crowd situation is listed as "sometimes" here, so you might have some company on the peak, but it’s not a circus.

The rest of the period is a mixed bag. We get a big spike on the 23rd of July with an 12ft SW swell, but the wind is a cross-shore mess, and the energy is off the charts (7914). That’s a kite-surfing day, not a paddle session. The 24th is similar, too big and windy. The 25th and 26th settle back to a more manageable size, but the wind is a factor. The 27th and 28th are blown out with onshore slop. The 29th looks marginal, and the 30th is a write-off. So, there’s a gap of a few days in the middle of the second week where the conditions are just not worth it.

So, to wrap it up: the first few days are clean and fun for a beginner, but the real gold is waiting for us at the end of the month. The 1st and 2nd of August are the ones to circle. That’s a long-range promise, and it’s a bit less certain, but if it holds, it’s going to be a cracker.

Rusty.

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