Reef Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here with the look ahead for our local region. I've been staring at the charts and, honestly, it’s a tough stretch for us. The forecast period kicks off now and runs for 16 days, but we've got a massive dry spell to get through before anything worth paddling out for shows up.

The first recommendation isn't until Thursday the 24th of July. That means a frustrating gap of nearly two weeks with nothing on offer. For the next 13 days, it’s just one "poor surf conditions" call after another. We've got tiny, weak swell, mostly from the west and northwest, but the wind is all over the place – cross-on, cross, sometimes onshore – and it’s not doing us any favors. The combined wave energy is pitiful, staying under 100 for almost all of it, which is just weak sauce. A few sessions are glassy, like Monday the 13th morning when the energy was only 60, but that was for a piddly 2 ft swell from the west. It’s just not enough to get excited about. The water temp is currently sitting at 66°F, which is within normal range for this time of year.

After that long wait, we finally see some action on Thursday the 24th of July. Friday morning of that week, the wind switches to a light cross-offshore from the southeast, and we see a bump in swell to 4 ft from the north-northwest, but the period is a short 6 seconds (combined energy of 137). The comment calls it "surfable waves but very ordinary conditions," which sums it up. It’s a score of 1 out of 10, so it's just get-wet surf, not quality.

From there, things get a bit more interesting for the experts. Saturday the 25th of July sees the swell jump significantly to 4 ft from the northwest with a moderate 10-second period, pushing the combined energy to a solid 388. By the afternoon, the swell is 6 ft from the same direction, and the energy jumps again to 571. That’s moderate wave energy and it’s the best on offer across the entire outlook, but the wind is a fresh cross-shore from the north-northwest at 19 mph, making it choppy and messy. This is expert territory, and with the wind, it might be a more interesting prospect for kite surfers than paddle surfing, given it's a reef setup that will be bumpy.

So, to break it down: don't even bother checking the buoys for the next two weeks. The standout, and really the only one, is Saturday the 25th of July for the bigger energy and size, but only if you're an experienced local who can handle a bumpy, cross-shore day at a reef break. It's not a classic call, but it's the best we've got after such a long blank run.

Stay patient, stay salty.

- Rusty

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