Riviera Shorebreak Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let's have a look at what's on the cards for the next couple of weeks.

Honestly, the outlook is a bit of a slow burner. We've got a decent stretch of small, clean conditions coming up, but it takes a while for the real energy to show up. Get ready for a bit of a wait for the good stuff.

The first real chance to get a wet suit on is Saturday afternoon, July 18th at Riviera Shorebreak. The water is sitting at 89° – that's a full 4° warmer than usual for this time of year, so the water is feeling much warmer than normal. The swell is a small 2ft from the SW with a period of 19 seconds, giving us a moderate wave energy (456). The problem is it's a bit cross-on with a breeze from the W, and the conditions are poor. Not worth getting too excited about.

Sunday the 19th is pretty much the same story – a bit more size at 3ft SW, but cross-onshore winds and a risk of thunderstorms will keep it messy.

Now, Monday morning, July 20th is where we start to see a little magic. The wind goes glassy, and the swell is a clean 4ft from the SW with a 16-second period. The energy is moderate (752) and the forecast says "expect very good surf conditions". This is the best of the early run. The afternoon will get a bit choppy again, so get out early.

The rest of that week, from Tuesday the 21st to Thursday the 23rd, is a bit of a write-off with weak, poor surf and small swells. The wind is onshore or cross-on most of the time. Thursday afternoon does show a spike to 4ft SW with a 12-second period, and decent energy (641), but the comments are still marginal.

There's a long gap of small, poor conditions from the 21st through to the 24th, with only a few marginal windows.

Friday morning, July 24th, things get interesting. The swell drops to 2ft, but the period jumps to a very long 24 seconds. That's a proper groundswell, and the energy is moderate (938). The wind is offshore from the W, so it could be clean. But remember, a long period like that on a shorebreak can be a bit tricky – it might break too straight. Still, it's worth a look.

After that, we see a building trend. Saturday the 25th has a solid 4ft SW swell in the afternoon (19-second period) with a strong wave energy (1265). The wind is cross-on, so it'll be a bit lumpy, but the size is there.

Sunday the 26th and Monday the 27th are similar – 4ft to 4ft SW swell, with light winds. The energy is getting into the strong category (1029, 1217). These are marginal but promising sessions.

The standout period is clearly Tuesday, July 28th through Thursday, July 30th. Swell size jumps: 6ft to 7ft from the SW and SSW, with a very strong wave energy (2092, 2050, 1829). This is big, powerful stuff. The wind is mostly light and offshore, but the size is well over 5ft, so it's getting into intermediate territory. At 7ft, it's edging towards expert-only.

But the best of the best? Thursday morning, July 30th. We've got a 5ft SW swell, a 14-second period, and glassy conditions. The wave energy is still strong (1220). The forecast says "excellent surf conditions for experienced surfers". This is the one to circle on the calendar. If you've got the skills, this is the morning.

From Friday July 31st onward, the swell drops back down to small, weak, and windy. The last week of the outlook is a quiet fade out, with nothing worth paddling out for.

To sum it up: Monday morning 20th is your early clean winner, but the real power and the best conditions land on Thursday July 30th. Don't sleep on it.

Rusty.

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