Riviera Surf Forecast and Surf Report

G'day, Rusty here. Look, I'm gonna level with you – the next couple of weeks are a bit of a grind. We've got a long stretch of gutless, choppy conditions before we see any real promise. The first real surf worth paddling out for doesn't show up until around the 18th of July with some small but clean windows, and the best of the best is looking like the 25th of July.

Let's start at Riviera. It's a beginner-friendly spot, very consistent, and it's exposed to the swell. The water is a balmy 70°, which is much warmer than normal for this time of year – a solid 4° above average, so you can leave the thick wetsuit at home.

From now until the 17th of July, it's a write-off. Tiny waves, cross-onshore winds, and poor surf conditions. The swell is less than 2 ft and the wind is just messing it up. Not worth getting wet.

Things start to get a little interesting on the 18th of July. Saturday morning sees a slight bump in swell to 3 ft from the SW, and the combined energy climbs to (511). The wind is a light cross-onshore, so it's small but there's a chance of a fun little ripple. Saturday afternoon cleans up a bit more with offshore winds, and the energy jumps to (563). It's still marginal, but if you're desperate, that's your window.

Sunday the 19th and Monday the 20th tease us with a bit more size – 3 ft to 3 ft – but the wind stays cross-onshore, keeping it choppy. The energy is building, hitting (939) on Sunday afternoon, but it's messy.

The real standout in this whole forecast is the 25th of July, Saturday. The swell pushes up to 5 ft to 6 ft from the S and SSW, with light offshore winds. The combined energy is massive – (1793) on Saturday morning and (1366) in the afternoon. This is proper swell, but it's also over 5 ft, so it's getting a bit chunky for beginners. The period is around 13 seconds, so it's a decent groundswell but that short period means it might be a bit fat and straight at the beach. Riviera is a beach break, so temper your expectations on the shape. Still, with offshore winds and that much energy, it's the best on offer by a long shot.

The 26th of July sees a drop in size to 3 ft, but the period jumps to 19 seconds – that's a very long period groundswell. This is a tricky one. The long period will make for some nice, lined-up waves at a point or reef, but at a beach break like Riviera, it can break too straight and close out. The energy is still high at (1290) in the morning, and the wind is offshore, so it could be a session of clean, racy walls if you pick the right bank.

The 24th of July, Friday, is also worth a mention. Swell builds to 6 ft to 6 ft from the S, with a period of 13-14 seconds and cross-onshore winds. The energy is strong (1629 and 1349), but the wind keeps it from being pristine. It's a solid option before the cleaner Saturday.

The rest of the window after the 26th sees the swell drop back to 3 ft to 4 ft, with periods between 15 and 18 seconds. The wind is often offshore or light cross-onshore, so there will be clean, small waves on offer for the beginner and longboard crew. The energy is still moderate (around 600-850), so it's not a complete flat spell.

Overall, the best bet is the 25th of July for the biggest, cleanest swell. The 26th is a quirky, long-period option that could be a lot of fun if the banks hold up. The 18th and 24th are the next best for a paddle.

Stay stoked, it looks like it'll be worth the wait.

Rusty.

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