Rat Beach Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s have a look at what’s on the cards for the next couple of weeks. To be straight up with you, we’re going through a bit of a flat spell right now, so don’t rush to grab your board just yet.

We’re looking at Rat Beach, a little reef break that’s more of a beginner’s spot. It’s inconsistent, and honestly, it doesn’t always fire. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing wild there.

Right now and for the next several days, it’s a tough watch. We’ve got a long gap with no real surf to recommend. From the start of the period, the waves are tiny – we’re talking 0.7ft to 1ft – and the combined energy is just a whisper, barely hitting two digits (2 to 150). The wind is all over the place, mostly cross-on or cross-off, making things choppy and messy. The swell is coming from the SW, which is off the optimum direction for this reef (it likes NW), and the periods are all over the shop, from a short 5 seconds to a weirdly long 21-second groundswell that just doesn’t have any height behind it. It’s poor surf, plain and simple.

We do see a little pulse of energy around Wednesday, July 16th, with combined energy hitting 150, but the swell height is still only 1ft. It’s a tease. The mornings are sometimes cleaner with a light cross-off breeze, but the afternoon wind swing ruins it. This pattern of weak, choppy surf drags on for nearly a week.

Now, things start to look a bit more interesting around Saturday, July 19th. The swell finally picks up to a consistent 2ft from the SW, and the combined energy jumps to a moderate 226. That’s a real step up in energy. But here’s the kicker: the wind is mostly cross-on or on it, with moderate breezes, so the wave faces are going to be choppy and lumpy. It’s frustrating because there’s some energy there, but the conditions aren't doing it any favours.

The real standout, and the only one I’d truly call the best on offer, looks like Friday morning, July 25th, and then into Sunday, July 27th. On Friday the 24th, we get a glimmer – a 2ft SW groundswell with a period of 13 seconds, pushing combined energy to 129. The wind is a light offshore from the SE, and the report says it’s clean. That’s a recipe for some glassy little waves on that reef. Then we have a bit of a nothing period before the very end of the forecast, on Monday, July 27th, it goes flat again.

If you’re desperate for a paddle, those cleaner mornings on July 16th and 18th might give you a knee-high wave, but don’t expect much. The real takeaway is a long, drawn-out lull with only a few fleeting moments of clean, small surf. For a break that’s already inconsistent, this is a pretty normal blank run for the area.

Keep an eye on the forecasts, because when it’s this quiet, it tends not to stay poor for long.

- Rusty

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