Riviera Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s take a look at what’s cooking for Riviera over the next couple of weeks.

Straight up, I’ll be honest with you – it’s a flat spell for a long stretch. The first real surf worth paddling out for doesn’t show up until way down the track. For the first week and a half, from the end of July through to the middle of August, the waves are small and sloppy. We’re talking tiny 1ft to 2ft stuff with weak energy, mostly in the 120 to 200 range (weak energy). The conditions are often marked as poor, so it’s a good time to check your wax, fix a ding, or just take the dog for a walk. The water temperature is 75°F and that’s a whopper – 8°F warmer than usual for this time of year, so it’s very unusual, like a warm bath.

Alright, so where’s the light? The first hint of something rideable comes on the morning of Friday, 14th August at Riviera. The swell is still small, about 2ft, coming from the SSW with a long period of 18 seconds. That’s proper groundswell, but it’s a beach break, so that long period might make it a bit straight and tricky. The energy is moderate (571), and the wind is light from the WSW – that’s blowing straight offshore, so it’ll be clean. It’s a marginal call, but it’s the best we’ve got.

Then, the pick of the whole run lands on Saturday morning, 15th August at Riviera. The swell bumps up to 4ft from the SW, with a solid 16-second period. The wind is offshore from the SW (6 mph), so the surface will be glassy. The combined energy climbs to 654 (moderate wave energy). It’s still only a marginal forecast, but with the offshore wind and that long-period groundswell, this is the standout. The waves will be small, clean, and have some push for a beginner-friendly spot. Since it’s very consistent and crowds are just "sometimes", you might get a few waves to yourself if you’re lucky.

For the rest of the second week, it’s more of the same small stuff. The morning of Sunday, 9th August has a 3ft SSW swell, but the conditions are marked as poor, so it’s a miss. The Friday, 14th August afternoon session has similar energy (576) but with a light cross-onshore breeze, so not as clean.

Overall, the surf is on life support for most of the window. The real standout is the Saturday, 15th August morning session. Don’t get your hopes up too high for the other days, but keep an eye on the forecasts – things can change.

Rusty, signing off.

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