Right and Left Side Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, Rusty here. Let's chew the fat on this stretch.

Right off the bat, I gotta be straight with you. We're looking at a pretty grim run for the next week or so. Right and Left Side is just not firing. For the first few days, from Tuesday the 28th right through to Friday the 31st, we're dealing with ankle-snappers and knee-high slop. The swell is tiny, barely 1 foot to 2 feet, and the period is short, so there's no push to it. The wind is mostly light and cross-off or glassy in the mornings, which would be a dream if there was any wave to ride. There's just no energy. The combined energy is barely registering, stuck in the teens and twenties. It's a total write-off.

We do have a little bump coming in on Saturday the 1st of August. The swell jumps to a more interesting 4 feet from the East, with a solid 14-second period. That's a proper groundswell, and the combined energy is up to 577. That's more like it. The problem? The wind is a cross-onshore Westerly at 9 mph, and by the afternoon it goes fully onshore. It's going to be choppy and bumpy. The morning *might* offer a few rideable waves if you're desperate, but it's not going to be pretty.

Now, after that brief tease, we hit a wall. From Sunday the 2nd of August all the way through to the end of the forecast on the 12th, it's a relentless onslaught of onshore wind. We're talking moderate to fresh breezes, and then strong breezes from the WSW and West, all hammering the coast. The swell sizes actually get quite serious, from 5 feet to 5 feet, and then we see a peak on Saturday the 8th of August with an 8-foot West swell (combined energy over 2000). The period is long, 14 to 15 seconds, which means there's a lot of power. But with the wind howling cross-onshore day after day, it's going to be a messy, lumpy, blown-out mess. Any wave that stands up will be a battle to ride. For a reef break, this setup is honestly more interesting for the kite surfers than paddle surfers. The wave quality is just poor.

There is a tiny glimmer on the very last day, Wednesday the 12th, as the swell drops back to 2 feet, but the wind is still a strong cross-shore. It's not worth the paddle.

So, what's the best on offer? It's a tough call, but I'd have to point to Saturday morning, the 1st of August. The 4-foot, 14-second East swell is the only real groundswell that lines up with the optimum direction, giving the wave some shape. Even with the 9 mph cross-onshore wind, it's the only window where you might find a couple of makeable waves. It's not a standout by any stretch, just the least-worst option. The rest of the forecast is a write-off. You're better off waiting for the next system.

Rusty.

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