Riviera Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright, grab a coffee, let’s talk Riviera. This is a beginner-friendly, very consistent spot that’s exposed to the SW. The whole 16-day window is dominated by small, onshore-angled swell and light to moderate cross-onshore wind. The water temp is about average for this time of year, so nothing wild there. We’re looking at a long stretch of pretty ordinary conditions.

The first few days are a write-off. Wednesday the 12th through to Thursday the 13th is all poor surf, with weak SW and SSW swell around 2ft to 3ft and a long period of 16–17 seconds (good energy at 282–482 in the combined energy, but with the wrong wind direction it’s a mess). Friday the 14th morning shows a glimmer – a 2ft SSW swell at 18 seconds and light WSW wind – but it’s still only marginal, with the wind on. That combined energy reading of 556 is moderate, but the surf quality is just not there.

Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th sees the swell nudge up a bit – 3ft to 4ft from the SSW/SW, periods around 15–16 seconds. The combined energy climbs into the 570–725 range, which is moderate to strong energy. Still, the wind is cross-onshore or onshore from the W or WSW, so the surface is going to be choppy or at least rippled. Saturday afternoon has a 4ft swell and onshore wind – not clean for a beginner spot. Sunday morning gets the best score of the whole run, with light cross-onshore wind and a 4ft SW swell at 16 seconds. It’s marginal at best.

After that, from Monday the 17th onward, it’s a slow decline. Swell sizes drop back to 2ft–3ft, periods stay between 13 and 18 seconds, but the energy weakens (210–512 range) and the wind is consistently cross-onshore. There’s no real standout day. A few mornings, like Wednesday the 19th and Wednesday the 26th, show marginal surf with light wind, but the swell is tiny and the quality is low. The whole second week is pretty much the same – small, onshore-angled, and not worth getting excited about.

For a surfer, the best bet – and I’m stretching here – is Sunday the 16th morning. A 4ft SSW swell at 16 seconds (groundswell, so longer gaps between sets, which helps a beginner paddling out) with light cross-onshore wind. The combined energy is 570, moderate. It’s still not clean, but it’s the least messy option in the whole 16 days. Even then, it’s only for the patient beginner who doesn’t mind a bit of wind bump. Every other day is either poor or marginal.

Rusty.

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