Red Strand (Dirk Bay) Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here again. Gotta be straight with you—this one’s a tough watch. For the next 16 days, the surf at Red Strand (Dirk Bay) is pretty much flat. We’re talking ankle-snappers at best, and even then, the conditions are all over the shop.

This is a sheltered reef setup, beginner-friendly when there’s swell, but it’s also a spot that doesn’t fire unless everything lines up perfectly. And right now, it’s just not happening. There are no proper waves on offer. The first good recommendation doesn’t come until Sunday the 12th of July, and even that’s a stretch.

Let’s walk through it. For the first five days—Tuesday the 7th through Saturday the 11th of July—we’ve got nothing but tiny bumps, mostly under 0.7 ft. Winds are all over the place too: some glassy mornings, sure, but the swell is just too weak to do anything with. The combined swell energy is in the single digits or low teens (8 to 19), which is basically nothing.

Then on Sunday the 12th of July, we finally see a little life. The afternoon shows a 4 ft swell from the east, period of 5 seconds. That’s a short-period wind swell, not much shape to it, and the combined energy climbs to 145 (moderate). Winds are clean cross-off from the ENE at 18 mph, so the surface will be tidy. But let’s be real—4 ft with a 5-second period isn’t going to produce anything special at this reef. It’s better than nothing, but hardly a standout.

After that, we’re back to small stuff. Monday the 13th has cross-off winds and a tiny SSW swell (1 ft), energy around 99, but again, it’s tiny. Tuesday the 14th sees a bit more energy (125) but the wind swings cross-shore and the swell stays around 1 ft. Not worth paddling out for.

From there, it’s a long stretch of poor surf. The whole second week is dominated by tiny swells (0.3 ft to 1 ft), mostly from the SSW, with onshore or cross-onshore winds. The combined energy drops back into the teens and twenties. Even the glassy patch on Wednesday the 22nd of July—flat calm, 0.7 ft from the SSW—is just not enough to get excited about.

Bottom line: Red Strand (Dirk Bay) is in a flat spell. There’s no standout session in this 16-day window. If you’re desperate for a paddle on the 12th of July, you might find a few knee-high runners, but don’t expect much. For the rest of the time, it’s a lake. These blank runs happen here—it’s a sheltered spot, so when the swell window closes, it really closes. Forecasts can change, but right now, this one’s a write-off.

Rusty

Read more