Ranches Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what Ranches has got cookin’ for us over the next couple of weeks. Gotta be straight with you, it’s a real mixed bag, and we’re looking at a whole lot of nothing for a good stretch.

We kick things off on Wednesday the 12th of August, but don’t get your hopes up. There’s barely a pulse in the water – a tiny 1.0ft swell from the WNW with a period of 12 seconds. The energy is a weak 28, and the conditions are labelled as poor. The wind is offshore from the NE at 15 mph, but with a wave that small, it’s just a clean, flat lake. Not worth paddling out for.

Thursday the 13th is more of the same – tiny 1.0ft and 0.7ft leftovers. Nothing doing.

The Standout Window

Now, mark your calendar for Friday the 14th of August. It’s not going to blow your mind, but it’s the best we’ve got. We see a bump in swell to 4ft from the NE with a short, weak period of only 7 seconds. The combined energy is a moderate 108 to 119. The conditions are described as “surfable waves but very ordinary,” but the wind is offshore from the ENE at 12-15 mph, keeping the surface clean. It’s a beginner-to-intermediate kind of day, small and a bit weak, but you’ll get wet.

Then it falls apart again. Saturday the 15th sees the swell vanish back to 1.0ft with strong winds. Sunday the 16th afternoon brings a pulse of 5ft swell from the NE (8 second period), and the energy jumps right up to a strong 265. The forecast says “expect good surf conditions” and the wind is offshore from the E at 15 mph. This is probably the biggest, most powerful wave in the whole forecast, but it’s still not a classic Ranches day. The swell direction is from the NE, which is not the optimum NW direction that this reef really needs to fire.

Monday the 17th has a drop to 3ft from the NE with weak period (7 seconds). The rest of the week into the end of August is a total bust. We have days of 1.0ft, 2ft, and 2ft swells from various directions, but the energy is consistently low (mostly under 100). The water temp at the start is 80°, which is basically normal for this time of year, so that’s one nice thing at least.

To be honest, looking at the whole 16-day run, there's a huge gap of days with truly poor or no surf. If you’re desperate, Friday the 14th and Sunday the 16th are the only times with enough size to bother. For a spot like Ranches, which is a reef break known for needing a solid NW swell to really work, this is a quiet period.

Rusty, signing off.

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