Red Island Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, let’s break it down. Rusty here.

First up, we’ve got a pretty solid run of surf on the horizon at Red Island (beach and reef). The water is sitting at 56°F, which is about average for the time of year, nothing unusual there.

The action kicks off Monday morning (6 July) with a clean, glassy 5ft ENE swell. The combined energy is moderate (627). It’s small but clean, and a good one for beginners to get out. The wind is glassy, so it’ll be smooth. Later that afternoon, the wind swings light cross-shore, and the swell bumps up a touch, but the conditions get a bit more marginal. Not the best of the window.

Tuesday morning (7 July) sees another glassy morning, with a 6ft east swell and moderate energy (612). Still clean, still fun. But the standout is Tuesday afternoon (7 July). That’s where it’s at. The swell jumps to 8ft from the east, period stretches to 10 seconds, and the combined energy kicks up to 1092 – that’s strong energy. And the wind? Glassy. This is the best session of the entire first week. Clean, powerful, and well-shaped.

Wednesday morning (8 July) is the one for the experienced crew. The swell hits 8ft from the ESE, with an 11-second period and a massive 1404 energy reading. Offshore wind (W at 6 mph) is keeping it clean. This is a proper groundswell, and it’s going to be a ripper for those who know what they’re doing. The afternoon goes downhill with a cross-onshore wind, so don’t bother.

From Thursday (9 July) through to Sunday (12 July), the wind turns onshore and strong, with swell heights up to 12ft. The energy readings are huge (up to 3201), but the wind is messy – cross-on and strong. This is more of a kite-surfing setup than a paddle-surfing one. The surf quality is poor, so I’d give it a miss.

Monday (13 July) is a bit of a reprieve. The swell drops to 3ft from the south, but with a 12-second period and offshore NW wind, it’s clean and glassy. The energy is low (383), so it’s small, but it’s a nice little clean-up session. The afternoon gives a 3ft ESE swell with clean cross-off wind.

Tuesday (14 July) is a write-off – strong winds (18-22 mph) and small, weak swell. Not worth paddling out.

Wednesday morning (15 July) offers a brief glimmer: a 6ft NE swell with a short 7-second period, but the wind is clean cross-off. The energy is moderate (605). It’s a bit of a windswell, but it’s clean.

From Thursday (16 July) through to Sunday (19 July) the surf is tiny (2ft to 4ft) and mostly onshore or weak. The exceptions are some small, clean glassy windows on Thursday morning and Friday morning, but the waves are just too small to get excited about.

Sunday afternoon (19 July) is a bit of a wild card. The swell jumps to 13ft from the SSW, with an 11-second period and a massive 5448 combined energy reading. That’s a lot of water moving. But the wind is a moderate cross-shore, and the conditions are poor. It’s a big, messy swell, and with the short period, it’s going to be lumpy. Only for the very determined.

Monday (20 July) is a no-go – near gale winds and messy, oversized swell.

Tuesday (21 July) ends the forecast with a small 3-4ft SSE swell, clean offshore wind, but the energy is low (around 200). It’s a clean, small finish.

Overall, the standout is Tuesday afternoon (7 July) – 8ft east swell, glassy, clean, and powerful. The second best is Wednesday morning (8 July) for the experienced surfers, with 8ft clean offshore conditions. After that, it’s a lot of onshore wind and messy conditions until the final day.

Crowds at Red Island are listed as “sometimes,” so you might have company, but it’s not a zoo.

Rusty.

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